Iran by Ali M Ansari

Iran by Ali M Ansari

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.

"Without simplifying or sensationalizing, this book captures the twists and turns of the last two centuries of Iranian historyIt 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

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

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781509541515
ISBN 10	1509541519
Title	Iran
Author	Ali M Ansari
Series	Polity Histories
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Year published	2024-01-26
Number of pages	160
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.