Accelerant - by Ciruce A Movahedi-Lankarani

Book Synopsis

Between the late 1940s and the end of the twentieth century, natural gas became Iran's bedrock energy source. Billed as a futuristic fuel for a future world power, gas became an avenue for the country's developmentalist ambitions. The ability to build technologically sophisticated infrastructures served as a powerful tool of state legitimation, both before and after the 1979 Revolution, and tied top-down politics of modernization to bottom-up feelings of national belonging.

Accelerant analyzes the interwoven histories of energy, development, and the environment in Iran. Following the movement of natural gas from underground deposits, through infrastructures of refining and distribution, and into everyday life, Ciruce Movahedi-Lankarani explores the roles of development planners, oil firms, industrialists, engineers, and consumers--as well as the mountain ranges, sedimentary rock, and natural gas itself--to show how natural gas emerged as a crucial enabler of industrialization and a strong impetus for resource nationalism. Tracing the transformation of gas from a waste product into a vital resource, this book offers a history of anticolonial developmentalism in Iran--revealing a key driver toward intensified energy use that suggests why and how societies in the Global South became voracious consumers of fossil fuel energy.

Review Quotes

"Accelerant is an impressive and multifaceted account of the ways in which natural gas shaped modern Iran. Ciruce Movahedi-Lankarani's innovative approach makes visible how political projects of resource nationalism were equally infrastructural projects of environmental and social transformation, foreclosing more sustainable futures."--Katayoun Shafiee, University of Warwick

"Natural gas is the neglected stepchild in the energy history family, so Ciruce Mohavedi-Lankarani'shistory of the Iranian state's efforts to capitalize on its bountiful reserves is especially welcome. Well researched and clearly written, this is political-environmental-technological history at its best."--J.R. McNeill, Georgetown University

"Oil's transparent companion finally takes center stage: Ciruce Movahedi-Lankarani deftly reveals how natural gas structured landscapes and politics, practically remaking modern Iran. Accelerant reconfigures the supposed 'bridge fossil fuel' while binding history to futurity with lucid prose and archival rigor. Essential reading for anyone interested in Iran, the Middle East, or energy."--On Barak, Tel Aviv University

About the Author

Ciruce Movahedi-Lankarani is the Farhang Foundation Early Career Chair in Iranian Studies and Assistant Professor of Middle East Studies and Environmental Studies at the University of Southern California.