Burnt Generation

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In Iran, the Burnt Generation (Persian: نسل سوخته, Nasl-e Sukhteh) is the generation born between roughly 1966 and 1988, having experienced the Iranian Revolution, Iran–Iraq War, and political or social consequences of these such as the Iran hostage crisis, the 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege, the Iranian Cultural Revolution, 1988 executions of political prisoners,^[1] the 1989 fatwa against Salman Rushdie, and the Islamic revival, as children, teenagers and later as young adults.^[2][3] These events proved fundamental in deciding the poor prospects and pessimistic outlook of this generation as they entered the workforce in Iran at the end of the 1980s and throughout the 1990s.

This generation resonates with Generation X and Millennials in the Western world.^[4] The earlier members of this cohort (roughly 1966 to 1979) were born at a time when the country was ruled by the Pahlavi Dynasty. On the other hand, the second half of the cohort (born from 1979 to 1988) were born at a time of great social, political, economic, and religious turbulence in Iran, and in their early childhood were only accustomed to the turmoil of the period.