Modern Iran

This title brings the story of modern Iran to the 21st century, exploring the political, cultural, and social changes of the past quarter century. The author provides insightful commentary on the Iran-Iraq war, the Persian Gulf War, and the effects of 9/11 and Iran's strategic relationship with the US.

First Published in 1980. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

In a reappraisal of Iran's modern history, Ervand Abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discovery of oil, imperial interventions, the rule of the Pahlavis and, in 1979, revolution and the birth of the Islamic Republic. In the intervening years, the country has experienced a bitter war with Iraq, the transformation of society under the clergy and, more recently, the expansion of the state and the struggle for power between the old elites, the intelligentsia and the commercial middle class. The author is a compassionate expositor. While he adroitly negotiates the twists and turns of the country's regional and international politics, at the heart of his book are the people of Iran. It is to them and their resilience that this book is dedicated, as Iran emerges at the beginning of the twenty-first century as one of the most powerful states in the Middle East.

This introductory text explains the political, economic and religious developments since the formation of the Islamic Republic in 1979 and provides an analysis of the domestic politics of Iran. It is an ideal starting point for students and general readers looking for a thought-provoking introduction to contemporary Iran.

This innovative study examines patterns of change in Shi�i symbols and rituals over the past two centuries to reveal how modernization has influenced the societal, political, and religious culture of Iran. Shi�is, who support the Prophet Mohammad�s progeny as his successors in opposition to the Sunni caliphate tradition, make up 10 to 15 percent of the world�s Muslim population, roughly half of whom live in Iran. Throughout the early history of the Islamic Middle East, the Sunnis have been associated with the state and the ruling elite, while Shi�is have most often represented the political opposition and have had broad appeal among the masses. Moharram symbols and rituals commemorate the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE, in which the Prophet Mohammad�s grandson Hoseyn and most of his family and supporters were massacred by the troops of the Umayyad caliph Yazid. Moharram symbols and rituals are among the most pervasive and popular aspects of Iranian culture and society. This book traces patterns of continuity and change of Moharran symbols and rituals in three aspects of Iranian life: the importance of these rituals in promoting social bonds, status, identities, and ideals; ways in which the three major successive regimes (Qujars, Pahlavis, and

To seek knowledge is an Islamic obligation, and religious schools traditionally disseminated the particulars of Islamic thought and culture in Iran. Early in the nineteenth century, however, the lure of modern military technology prompted Iranian leaders to seek Western scientific knowledge. Drawing on a wealth of original research, David Menashri traces the history of Iran's educational system from the departure of the first two Iranian students to Europe in 1811, through the founding of Tehran University in 1935, to the changes in educational policies enacted under the Ayatollah Khomeini. In so doing, Menashri chronicles the wider political and social history of the struggle for control of education between the ulama, or religious elite, and the state. Paying particular attention to the development of higher education, Menashri assesses the contribution--as well as the limitations--of educational reform in the making of modern Iran. He provides a rich account of the role of Iranians who had been educated abroad and reveals the ambivalence of custodians of power who wanted to import Western skills without Western ideas. Menashri reconstructs the dramatic conflicts and the enduring tensions between groups supporting the values of traditional culture and those promoting Western-oriented "progressive" education. The resulting educational system,

"...Ansari has written a straightforward, though skilfully analytical, history of Iran" Times Literary Supplement (praise for the first edition) Today?s Iran is rarely out of the headlines. Labelled by George W Bush as a part of his ?axis of evil? and perceived as a real nuclear threat by some, Iran is increasingly seen as an enemy of the West. And yet for many Iran remains shrouded in mystery and incomprehensible to Western analysis. Modern Iran offers a comprehensive analysis and explanation of political, social and economic developments in Iran during the 20th century. Since it first published in 2003 Modern Iran has become a staple for students and lecturers wishing to gain a clear understand of the history of this strategically important Middle Eastern Country. The new edition will bring us up to dateand will include: an analysis of the successes and failures of the Khatami Presidency; an examination of the effect of 9/11; the rise of the Reform Movement and the efforts to promote Islamic Democracy; the resistance to democratisation among the hardline elites.

Books about Modern Iran Dialectics

Books about Modern Iran

Gender and Dance in Modern Iran: Biopolitics on Stage investigates the ways dancing bodies have been providing evidence for competing representations of modernity, urbanism, and religiosity across the twentieth century. Focusing on the transformation of the staged dancing body, its space of performance, and spectatorial cultural ideology, this book traces the dancing body in multiple milieus of performance, including the Pahlavi era’s national artistic scene and the popular café and cabaret stages, as well as the commercial cinematic screen and the post-revolutionary Islamized theatrical stage. It links the socio-political discourses on performance with the staged public dancer, in order to interrogate the formation of dominant categories of "modern," "high," and "artistic," and the subsequent "othering" of cultural realms that were discursively peripheralized from the "national" stage. Through the study of archival and ethnographic research as well as a diverse literature pertaining to music, theater, cinema, and popular culture, it combines a close reading of primary sources such as official documents, press materials, and program notes with visual analysis of filmic materials and imageries, as well as interviews with practitioners. It offers an original and informed exploration into the ways performing bodies and their public have been associated with binary notions