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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000010218520 | DS272 D43 2007 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
A new and original interpretation of the social history of religion in Iran from the 1870s to the 1970s.
Drawing together religion and other social and cultural issues, it places the revolutionary upheavals of 1977-82 in the context of historical developments over the preceding century. De Groot argues that Iran's revolution was not the inevitable outcome of the nature of the Iranian state or of religion in Iran but was much more complex and resulted from a wider range of factors than is traditionally believed. She focuses on the human responses of Iranians to their experiences and on the rich variety and complexity of the relationship between religion and other aspects of society, thought and culture in their daily life.
Stimulating and engaging, Religion, Culture and Politics in Iran makes an important contribution to the study of Iranian society.
Author Notes
Joanna de Groot lectures in history and is a member of the Centre for Women's Studies at the University of York. She has published extensively on gender and women's history.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
In this thorough, scholarly study, de Groot (Univ. of York), who has published and researched extensively in 19th- and 20th-century Iranian social history, examines how Iranians have used religion at different times in different ways. She particularly focuses on the 1906 constitutional revolution, the political crisis surrounding Mossadegh's nationalization of Iranian oil, and the 1979 revolution that overthrew the rule of Muhammad Reza Shah. De Groot points out that when one examines relationships between "religion" and "politics" in Iran, one has to consider the full range of forms communicating political meaning within that particular culture: "In addition to examining what is expressed by political activity (vested interests, fears, aspirations, grievances), it is important to examine how activity is expressed in order to understand connection between religious and other elements in the political history of Iran." Her study challenges oversimplification and indicates that a fuller understanding of Iranian behavior during the last 150 years "rests on finding ways to present them as complex many-sided human beings rather than impersonal social actors or two-dimensional stereotypes." Although this is an excellent, valuable addition to the literature on modern Iranian history, readers should have solid familiarity with the subject in order to fully appreciate the book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. N. Rassekh Lewis and Clark College
Table of Contents
| Acknowledgements | p. vi |
| Introduction: making stories about Iran | p. 1 |
| Part 1 The 'religious' and the 'social' | p. 11 |
| 1 A story of cultures and communities | p. 13 |
| Narratives of nineteenth-century communities and hierarchies | p. 14 |
| Narratives of transition, 1890s to 1940s | p. 32 |
| Identities and communities' 1950s to 1970s | p. 40 |
| 2 A story of material relationships | p. 61 |
| 3 A story of distinctive institutions and vested interests | p. 82 |
| Part 2 The 'religious' and the 'political' | p. 113 |
| 4 The life, death and afterlife of political issues | p. 116 |
| Encountering change: a story of reform and resistance | p. 116 |
| A story of doulat and mellat: issues of state and people | p. 127 |
| A story of nation and nationalism: the politics of identity, solidarity and difference | p. 144 |
| 5 A story of language, symbol and discourse | p. 167 |
| 6 A story of movements and struggles: convergence, conflict and cohabitation | p. 201 |
| Concluding some stories (and starting others) | p. 253 |
| Notes | p. 259 |
| Bibliography | p. 283 |
| Index | p. 297 |
