Peripheral capitalist realism: Theorizing the affective foreclosure of futurity in Iran

Abstract

This article examines the failure of recent political uprisings in post-revolutionary Iran through the framework of Peripheral Capitalist Realism (PCR), extending Mark Fisher's notion of ideological foreclosure. PCR describes a political-affective condition produced by the fusion of authoritarian governance, predatory accumulation, patrimonialism, and neoliberal rationality in a peripheral theocracy. Drawing on survey data from 332 educated, urban middle-class respondents and critical theory, the study argues that beyond state repression, the internalization of neoliberal values and absence of viable alternatives generate resignation and affective withdrawal. Integrating Fisher's ideas of “reflexive impotence” and “privatization of stress” with Lauren Berlant's “cruel optimism” and Marxist analyses of peripheral capitalism, the paper shows how Iranian society embodies a distinctive capitalist realism shaped by its unique blend of Islamic theocracy and predatory economics. Empirical findings reveal precarious labor, psychological distress, and a pervasive desire to emigrate, indicating a socio-political atmosphere where systemic transformation appears increasingly unimaginable.