“Azadi!-liberta’!”. I movimenti studenteschi della diaspora come metafora ossessiva della dissidenza iraniana

The political history of Iran has been characterised by an enduring conflict between the ruling elites and a variety of dissident movements that contributed to the different regime changes. This paper focuses on the politically involved student movements based in Iran and abroad (the so called "Iranian diaspora") that, since the 19th century, took part to the struggle against the non-democratic governments that ruled, and still rule, the country. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the Iranian example of political struggle on the outbreak of the "Arab Spring" in 2011.