Iran - (Polity Histories) by Ali M Ansari (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Both revolutionary and reactionary, the Islamic Republic of Iran has long been a conundrum for Western observers. A theocracy that aspires to a popular mandate; an anti-colonial state with imperial pretensions of its own: modern Iran is in many ways a reflection of its struggle to reconcile its traditions with the challenges of modernity.

In this book, Ali Ansari takes readers on a journey through Iran's turbulent history. Beginning with the country's fall from grace as a Great Power in the nineteenth century, he explores its repeated attempts to modernize in a series of revolutionary movements from the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 to the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the civil unrest that is breaking out today. In so doing, he reveals how the experience of history and Iran's encounter with 'modernity' have come to define it - and set it on an authoritarian path in confrontation with the West and, often, its own people.

Review Quotes

"Without simplifying or sensationalizing, this book captures the twists and turns of the last two centuries of Iranian history. It is a perfect introduction for anyone wishing to venture beyond the headlines to understand Iran."
Houchang E. Chehabi, Boston University

"An illuminating and erudite history of modern and contemporary Iran. Ansari's original and insightful approach reminds us of the ruptures and continuities that continue to shape Iranian politics today."
Ramin Jahanbegloo, Jindal Global University

"Few countries are so misunderstood as Iran - and in this brilliantly clever and pithy study, Ali Ansari digs beneath the myths to give us a magisterial overview of its modern history."
Dominic Sandbrook

About the Author

Ali Ansari is Professor of Iranian History and Founding Director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St Andrews.