Rafsanjani was an influential member of the council of revolution of iran in the islamic republics early days. Iran is home to one of the worlds oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 bc. Keddie provides insightful commentary on the iraniraq war, the persian gulf war, and the effects of 911 and irans strategic relationship with the us. Tuba va manayi shab touba and the meaning of night 1989. Unlike many other middle east countries, iran managed to remain independent throughout much of its history. In this substantially revised and expanded version of nikki keddies classic workroots of revolution,the author brings the story of modern iran to the present day, exploring the political, cultural, and social changes of the past quarter century. It makes use of a combination of documents that include newspapers and the periodical press, diaries, memoirs, letters, speeches, and. With 83 million inhabitants, iran is the worlds 18th most populous country. Feb 11, 2010 ali akbar hashemirafsanjani, the speaker of the national assembly, becomes president. The author seemed very knowledge of the history, culture, people, philosophy, mentality and pivotal political figures and movements. What do you think thompson brought to the study of iranian history that.
Dec 07, 2017 a masterfully researched and compelling history of iran from 1501 to 2009 this history of modern iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. The author did not linger in one era longer than another. The history of iran presented in her book is not exactly objective but no matter, these books are funny and moving. The history of modern science in iran dates back to the year 1851 and the establishment of darolfonoon which. Given that the country was overrun constantly and threatened by powerful neighboring forces, from the arabs to the russians to the british, how did the persian empire resist being subsumed by them. In a reappraisal of irans 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. A modern history by abbas amanat is a detailed five hundred year history of iran.
Kamin mohammadis top 10 iranian books books the guardian. Whenever im asked to recommend a modern iranian novel, i have to keep. Ali akbar hashemirafsanjani, the speaker of the national assembly, becomes president. If we consider the works of sadegh hedayat 19031951 in fiction and nima yushij 18951960 in poetry as the beginning of irans modern literature, then.
Buy modern iran since 1921 2nd edition 9781405840842 by na for up to 90% off at. History of iran simple english wikipedia, the free. The medes unified iran as a nation and empire in 625 bc the islamic conquest of persia 633656 and the end of the sassanid empire was a turning point in iranian history. His books are bestsellers in iran, where they are read and discussed widely. First in the respectable literary quarterly literatura na swiecie no 1090, warszawa, october 1978, pp. Honorable mention for the 2016 houshang pourshariati iranian studies book award, sponsored by the middle east studies association. What are the best books to read about the modern history. Jul 10, 2008 simultaneously a history of modern iran is a dialectical analysis of the sociopolitical contradictions of iranian society in the 19th and 20th century. Today, iran has a population of about 70 million persons. Jul 20, 2011 the history of iran presented in her book is not exactly objective but no matter, these books are funny and moving. Molavi has a keen and nuanced view of iran, and his book introduces the general reader not only to irans contemporary history and the struggles of its people, but to the texture of the culture. Oct 24, 2017 a masterfully researched and compelling history of iran from 1501 to 2009 this history of modern iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation.
The author begins his account with the setting of qajar iran around 1900 and ends with the islamic republics presidential election of 2005. A history of modern iran cambridge university press. If we consider the works of sadegh hedayat 19031951 in fiction and nima yushij 18951960 in poetry as the beginning of iran s modern literature, then we can discern two influential factors in its development. Intellectual movements in iran involve the iranian experience of modernity and its associated. Watch the tragic history of irans modern state which developed into the fascist regime which rules iran today. Even for those who are well acquainted with modern iran will most certainly find the book stimulating and helpful. A history in documents nabavi, negin covering the period from the early nineteenth century to the present day, modern iran. Keddie provides insightful commentary on the iraniraq war, the persian gulf war, and the effects of 911 and irans strategic. Nov 14, 20 1 for a general survey of 20th century iran, i highly recommend, a history of modern iran. Abbas amanat combines chronological and thematic approaches, exploring events with lasting implications for modern iran and the world.
Abrahamians, published in 1982, treated the political history of iran from the constitutional revolution in the first decade of the twentieth century until the islamic revolution in 1979. History of iran simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Tracing the 20th century history of iran this book provides an uptodate account of modern iran in 2002. The clergys revenge a modern history of iran books. The book covers the complex history of the diverse societies. The history of iran, which was commonly known until the mid20th century as persia in the western world, is intertwined with the history of a larger region, also to an extent known as greater iran, comprising the area from anatolia, the bosphorus, and egypt in the west to the borders of ancient india and the syr darya in the east, and from the caucasus and the eurasian steppe in the north to. Introduction iran and ancient persia have a long, creative and glorious history. Cambridge core middle east studies the cambridge history of iran edited by p. Central asia in the new world order, tradition vs charisma. 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 this revised and expanded version of nikki keddies work, roots of revolution, the author brings the story of modern iran to the present day, exploring the political, cultural, and social changes of the past quarter century.
A brief history of irans modern literature british council. What are the best books to read about the modern history of iran. By ervand abrahamian 2 for a more in depth and scholarly works, abrahamians iran between two revolutions is a classic. In a reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abraham.
In spite of a rich trove of classical works mainly poems, modern iranian literature is less than a hundred years old. A history of modern iran, ervand abrahamian 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. Top 10 books about iran nazanine hozar books the guardian. Rather, abrahamian builds on that work plus others, such as his 1993, to offer a new interpretive narrative intended for the general reader. This is the first comprehensive book on iranian art and visual culture since the. The medes unified iran as a nation and empire in 625 bc. Keddie provides insightful commentary on the iraniraq war, the persian gulf war. Shaji i, nemayand egan e majles e show raye melli deputies in the na tional. My purpose is to present an interpretation of the recent history of iran based upon characteristics of iranian society which have determined the success of the internal and external policies of successive governments. Synopsis in a reappraisal of irans 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. For a detailed description of the persian empire, see persia. Jun 26, 2009 molavi has a keen and nuanced view of iran, and his book introduces the general reader not only to irans contemporary history and the struggles of its people, but to the texture of the culture. A history of modern iran by ervand abrahamian goodreads. Tenthcentury persian poet ferdowsis long epic poem sahname book of kings, which is for the most part based on xwadaynamag, a middle persian compilation of the history of iranian kings and heroes from mythical times down to the reign of chosroes ii, is considered the national epic of iran.
Any account of the history of iran in modern times, especially since 1918, is highly controversial. The historians of the constitutional movement and the. By the time i graduated, i knew i wanted to study modern iran, but british. The blind owl is sadegh hedayats magnum opus and a major literary work of 20th century iran. In the intervening years, the country has experienced a bitter war with iraq, the transformation of society under the clergy and. No other novel better illuminates the state of modern iranian.
The countrys name was changed from persia to iran in 1935. Iran and america since 1900, building a new silk road. The islamic conquest of persia 633656 and the end of the sassanid empire was a turning point in iranian history. Principle ethnic groups are persian 51%, azeri 24%, gilaki and mazandarani 8%, kurd 7% and arab 3%. A stately, scholarly study of irans modern development, emphasizing themes of iranian distinctness from arab and western cultures and traditions. For the student of iran and for the general reader looking for the historical grounding of todays tangled situation in iran, there is no better end page 144 place to start than this book. In light of the recent protests, i provide a primer on the complex political structure of iran and its socioeconomic history. Iran is bordered on the north by armenia, azerbaijan, turkmenistan, and the caspian sea. He is a professor of history and international studies and director of the yale. Iranian historybibliography wikibooks, open books for an.
A history of modern iran, ervand abrahamian in a reappraisal of irans 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. This history of modern iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. A history in documents brings together primary sources in translation that shed light on aspects of the political, social, cultural, and intellectual history of modern iran. Amanat, a professor of history and international studies at yale university with a string of scholarly publications on iran to his name, says this book has taken him 20 years to write. In his new book he presents the past five centuries of irans history in its persian, shia context. List of books and articles about iranian history online. It would be impossible to begin a discussion on modern iranian. The book covers the complex history of the diverse societies and economies of iran against the background of dynastic changes, revolutions, civil wars, foreign occupation, and the rise of the islamic republic.
A masterfully researched and compelling history of iran from 1501 to 2009 this history of modern iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. Some of the worlds most ancient settlements have been excavated in the caspian region and on the iranian plateau. Iran had been a monarchy ruled by a shah, or emperor, almost without interruption. A history of modern iran in a radical reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discoveryofoil,imperialinterventions,theruleofthepahlavis,and,in. The clergys revenge a modern history of iran books and. Covering the period from the early nineteenth century to the present day, modern iran. The book covers the complex history of the diverse societies and economies of iran against the background of dynastic.
A history of modern iran in a radical reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discoveryofoil,imperialinterventions,theruleofthepahlavis,and,in 1979, revolution and the birth of the islamic republic. In a radical reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century. It offers a revealing look at how events, people, and institutions are shaped by currents that sometimes reach back hundreds of years. From memoirs to history books, writing about iran, thinking in iranian, even. This new book is not an updating of that earlier work. Early history to the zand dynasty iran has a long and rich history. A modern history by abbas amanat, paperback barnes. In a radical reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its. Iranian historybibliography wikibooks, open books for. Syrias islamic movement and the 201112 uprising, a century of u. Contemporary iranian art by talinn grigor from reaktion books.
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