The Political History of Modern Iran - by Ali Rahnema (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the rise of constitutionalism during the rule of despotic Qajars, foreign invasions, the Pahlavi regimes' destructive politics, economic, cultural and social modernization efforts and the oil nationalization movement, to the Iranian Revolution, its high hopes, broken promises, repression and intolerance causing national discontent and another socio-political upheaval today, the history of modern Iran has been eventful, unstable and turbulent.

In this textbook, Ali Rahnema draws on his experience teaching and researching on modern Iran to render one hundred years of modern Iranian politics and history into easy-to-follow episodic chapters. Step by step, and taking a chronological approach, students are given the core information, analysis, and critical assessment to understand the flow of contemporary Iranian history.

This is a comprehensive and exhaustive guide for undergraduate and graduate level courses on modern Iranian history and politics. The textbook is complete with the following pedagogical features:

* An initial chapter on how to study Iranian history and how to approach historiography
* Images of key individuals discussed in each chapter
* Text boxes throughout to highlight key episodes, concepts, and ideas
*Three types of exam questions; factual and analytical, seminar, and discussion at the end of each chapter
* Glossaries at the end of each chapter
*A comprehensive timeline

Topics covered include: party formations; the flourishing of the press; the expansion or reduction of political and civil rights; repression and human right abuses; foreign intervention and influence; obsessions over conspiracies; the influence of Western ideologies, the role of nationalism, cultural and historical Persian chauvinism; and Shi'i Islam and competing Shiisms.

Review Quotes

"The product of thirty-five years of teaching and research, this text book is ideal for introducing students to the history of modern Iran." --Dr Roham Alvandi, London School of Economics, UK

"By drawing on a wealth of primary and secondary source material Ali Rahnema offers a highly accessible and informative textbook, a lucid survey of Iran's political history in the twentieth century to the present." --Ali Gheissari, Professor, University of San Diego, USA

"An outstanding feat of scholarship and pedagogy, this remarkable textbook of modern history guides students through Iran's intertwined political, social, economic, intellectual and religious histories of the past 100 years in an engaging and straightforward language framed by a wealth of vivid excerpts from contemporary accounts, helpful explanatory sidebars and comprehensive sets of analytical and discussions questions that both students and instructors will come to appreciate." --Iago Gocheleishvili, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University, USA

"Exhibiting concision, depth of research, elegant prose, and intellectual acumen in every page, this textbook is a much-needed resource for understanding modern Iran's political history and its developmental trajectories from the outset of the twentieth century to the present. Ali Rahnema has once again produced a work of impressive range and great analytical subtlety that is destined to become a staple of Iranian Studies syllabi the world over." --Hussein Banai, Associate Professor, Indiana University Bloomington, USA

About the Author

Ali Rahnema is Emeritus Professor at the American University of Paris, France. He is the author of The Rise of Modern Despotism in Iran (2021), Call to Arms: Iran's Marxist Revolutionaries (2021), Behind the 1953 Coup in Iran: Thugs, Turncoats, Soldiers, and Spooks (2015), Superstition as Ideology in Iranian Politics: From Majlesi to Ahmadinejad (2011), and An Islamic Utopian: A Political Biography of Ali Shariati (2000) among others.