Empire of the Mind by Michael Axworthy

Empire of the Mind by Michael Axworthy

"Empire of the Mind" offers the reader a compelling overview of Iranian history from the earliest times up to the present day. It highlights the uniqueness of Iranian identity, as one of the oldest continuing civilisations in the world. In doing so, as well as covering military and dynastic matters, it emphasises the role of cultural and intellectual movements in Iran in order to demonstrate how Iran has had an influence in the Middle East and Asia beyond her borders through the power of Persianate culture rather than through conventional political and military means - an 'Empire of the Mind' as much as an 'Empire of the Sword'. Axworthy also conveys some of the under-appreciated and misunderstood aspects of the history of Iran in the last fifty to sixty years, particularly religious developments, ignorance of which has contributed to the baffled incomprehension with which many contemporary Westerners view the country.

'A beautifully written bookAxworthy has succeeded in producing a concise yet comprehensive historical narrative which is both a pleasure to read and intellectually stimulating. In these times of growing tension between Iran and the West, it is important to understand and appreciate the context of these developments, and the dramatic role Iran-or Persia as it has more normally been defined in the West-has played in the unfolding of human civilisation in general and of Western culture in particular. Axworthy achieves this succinctly and with considerable eloquence.'-Professor Ali Ansari, St Andrews University'An engrossing, powerfully argued and elegantly written history of a country which finds itself once again at the centre of international affairs.' -Justin Marozzi, author of the bestselling Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World (HarperCollins, 2006).'The best available single-volume introduction to Iran's history.' -The New Statesman

Michael Axworthy lived in Iran in the 1970s and read history at Cambridge. He was head of the Iran section in the British Foreign Office from 1998-2000. Axworthy has written on contemporary Iran for Prospect magazine and commented on Iranian affairs for the BBC. He teaches at the University of Exeter.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781850658719
ISBN 10	1850658714
Title	Empire of the Mind
Author	Michael Axworthy
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd
Year published	2008-01-29
Number of pages	333
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable