Spring 2007
THE POLITICS OF MODERN IRAN
Prof. Mehrzad Boroujerdi
PSC 300.201/MES300.M003 Class Times: M, W: 12:45-2:05
Office: 332 Eggers Hall Classroom: HGL 113
Office Hours: W: 10-12 Office Phone: 443-5877
http://faculty.maxwell.syr.edu/mborouje/ mboroujerdi@maxwell.syr.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This reading-intensive course will provide students with a historical and theoretical understanding of modern Iranian politics and society from the late nineteenth century to the present. Students will learn about Iran’s cultural ambiance and heritage, ethnic/class/religious cleavages, political thought, the causes and consequences of the 1979 revolution, and the nature of the post-revolutionary political system through reading some of the most seminal scholarly essays on these subjects.
COURSE PHILOSOPHY: A Chinese proverb says that, “teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.” A Western sage (Karl Jaspers) supplemented this maxim by maintaining that “university life is no less dependent on students than on professors. The best professors flounder helplessly at a school where the student body is unfit. Hence, it is all up to the young people who are supposedly entitled to study. They must show themselves worthy of this privilege to the best of their ability.” This course has been organized on the premise that you are worthy of this privilege and that the teacher only opens the door. The success of this course depends entirely on your continued and sustained participation. Therefore, I ask that you be agile participants and intervene as often as possible in class discussion. Please keep in mind that in this course you will be exposed to a wide range of alternative views, some of which may force you to question, rethink, and, if necessary, abandon your present "understanding" of Iranian history and politics. Who knows, by the end of the course you might feel that you have taken part in a serendipitous voyage of discovery!
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: In light of the fact that my presentations will complement rather than reiterate the assigned readings, it is expected that you attend all class meetings. You will be held responsible for all the material we cover in readings, lectures, and films. Attendance is also mandatory for all exams, and make-ups will be given only for bona fide emergencies (i.e., severe illness documented by a physician).
Participation: In addition to being physically present, I expect you to be mentally present as well! As such, you should complete all assigned readings before each class meeting so that you are familiar with the concepts, facts, theories, and controversies with which we are dealing. Furthermore, you should try to engage in cyber discussion through the listserv I have set up for this course (Iran@listserv.syr.edu). You and I will use this listserv to (a) post interesting or informative e-mails about Iran; (b) post your critical summary/commentary; and (c) respond to points and issues raised by the instructor or your peers.
Oral Presentations: To ensure class participation and to spread out the work a bit, each student is required to make one or two oral presentation(s) in class concerning one of the topics listed in the syllabus in which they are interested. The presenters (at least two students each time) will provide a summary of the required and additional readings pertaining to their chosen topic along with their own critical commentary.
The presenters are allowed to collaborate and may present a joint critical summary if they so desire. All presentations should be in the form of a PowerPoint presentation and should be e-mailed to the instructor at least two days before the scheduled presentations. You will sign up for these presentations during the first week of classes. Each in-class presentation should last 10 to 15 minutes if done individually or 20 to 30 minutes if done jointly.
Book Reviews: Each student is expected to write a 1,200 words (4 double-spaced pages) book review which will address the following questions: (a) what is the author's thesis?; (b) what are some useful concepts s/he presents?; (c) what do you consider to be the major strengths and weaknesses of the work?; and (e) what questions have come to your mind in light of the reading? By January 24, the students will each choose one of the books listed at the end of this syllabus. The book reviews are due on February 26.
Research Papers: Each student is expected to write a 7 to 10 page (typed, and double-spaced) research paper on one of the following Iran related topics: Assembly of Religious Experts (Khobregan); Bureaucracy; Cabinet; Class situation (income distribution, inequality); Clerical Establishment; Civil liberties, rights and freedoms; Constitution; Corruption; Cultural life; Economic Performance (employment, inflation, monetary policy, privatization); Educational system; Elections; Electoral system; Environmental issues; Ethnicity; Exile Community; Expediency Council; Foreign Policy; Guardian Council; Intelligence Community and secret police; Interest groups; Legal System and Judiciary; Media; Non-Governmental Organizations; Opposition forces; Legislative Branch; Political Culture; Political elite; Political parties; Political participation (forms/modes/trends); Population and migration policy; Presidency; Social cleavages; Social movements; Social welfare policies (pension, poverty, education); Sources of political legitimacy; Supreme Leader; Theocracy; Youth; Women and Gender issues.
Each paper should have an elaborate bibliography (books, journal articles, newspaper articles, Internet sources, etc). The instructor will randomly assign a topic to each student in the course. The research papers are due on April 30.
In both the books review and the research paper you should follow the “Four C” rule: clear, concise, coherent, and creative. Further guidelines on how to write the papers will be provided in class.
Exam: You will have an in-class midterm exam on March 5.
Please note that in this course we follow the university’s policy regarding academic honesty (http://provost.syr.edu/academicintegrity_office.asp#policies). Those who engage in plagiarism will get an automatic F and will be referred to university officials for further disciplinary action. Students who may need special consideration because of any sort of disability should make an appointment to see the instructor in private.
GRADING CRITERIA
Assignment When Percentage
Attendance all the time 10%
Classroom & Listserv contribution all the time 10%
Oral Presentations & Handout on scheduled dates 20%
Book Review February 26 20%
Mid-term Exam March 5 20%
Research Paper April 30 20%
REQUIRED TEXTS (available at Orange Student Bookstore and SU Bookstore)
CLASS ASSIGNMENTS
Jan. 17: Introduction - The Nature and Structure of the Course
· Syllabus review; questionnaire, sign up for class presentations.
· Take a look at The Economist Country Briefing on Iran
Jan. 22: The Legacy of Pre-Islamic Persia
· Video: “Engineering an Empire: The Persians”
· Peter Avery, “Balancing Factors in Irano-Islamic Politics and Society,” Middle East Journal vol. 50, no. 2 (Spring 1996): 177-189.
Additional Readings:
· Christopher de Bellaigue, “The Persian Difference,” New York Review of Books (December 15, 2005): 16-20.
Jan. 24: From Pre-Islamic Era to 1800: A Bird’s Eye View
· Keddie, pp. 1-21
· Homa Katouzian, "Arbitrary Rule: A Comparative Theory of State, Politics and Society in Iran," British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies vol. 24, no. 1 (May 1997): 49-73.
Jan. 29: Understanding the Persians
· E.G. Browne, “The Religious Influence of Persia.” In Lectures Delivered to the Persia Society 1913-1914 (Edinburgh: Morrison & Gibb Ltd.), pp. 57-72.
· Ervand Abrahamian, “The Paranoid Style in Iranian Politics.” In Ervand Abrahamian, Khomeinism: Essays on the Islamic Republic (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993), pp. 111-131.
· Mohammad K. Fazel, “The Politics of Passion: Growing Up Shia,” Iranian Studies vol. 21, nos. 3-4 (1988): 37-51.
Additional Readings:
· Ahmad Ashraf, “Conspiracy Theories.” In Ehsan Yarshater (ed.), Encyclopædia Iranica, vol. VI (Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, 1993), pp. 138-147. See the shorter version of this essay.
· Mary Catherine Bateson, et al. “Safa-yi Batin: A Study of the Interrelation of a Set of Iranian Ideal Character Types.” In L. Carl Brown and Norman Itzkowitz (eds.), Psychological Dimensions of Near Eastern Studies (Princeton: Darwin Press, 1977).
· John Cooper, “Some Observations on the Religious Intellectual Milieu of Safawid Iran.” In Farhad Daftary (ed.), Intellectual Traditions in Islam (London: I.B. Tauris, 2000), pp. 146-159.
Jan. 31: Religion, Government, and the Social Structure of 19th Century Iran
· Keddie, 22-57
· A. Bausani, “The Qajar Period: An Epoch of Decadence?” In Edmund Bosworth and Carole Hillenbrand (eds.), Qajar Iran: Political, Social and Cultural Change 1800-1925 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1983), pp. 255-260.
Additional Readings:
· Ervand Abrahamian, “Oriental Despotism: The Case of Qajar Iran,” International Journal of Middle East Studies vol. 5, no. 1 (January 1974): 3-31.
· Ann K.S. Lambton, “Persian Society under the Qajars.” In Ann K.S. Lambton, Qajar Persia (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1988), pp. 87-107.
· Juan R.I. Cole, “Making Boundaries, Marking Time: The Iranian Past and the Construction of the Self by Qajar Thinkers,” Iranian Studies 29, nos. 1-2 (Winter/Spring 1996): 35-56.
Feb. 5: The Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1911
· Keddie, pp. 58-72.
· Ervand Abrahamian, “The Causes of the Constitutional Revolution in Iran,” International Journal of Middle East Studies vol. 10, no. 3 (Aug. 1979): 381-414.
· Mangol Bayat, “The Cultural Implications of the Constitutional Revolution.” In Edmund Bosworth and Carole Hillenbrand (eds.), Qajar Iran: Political, Social and Cultural Change 1800-1925 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1983), pp. 65-75.
Additional Readings:
· Ann K.S. Lambton, “The Persian Constitutional Revolution of 1905-6.” In Ann K.S. Lambton, Qajar Persia (University of Texas Press, 1988), pp. 319-329.
· Said Amir Arjomand, “The Ulama’s Traditionalist Opposition to Parliamentarism,” Middle Eastern Studies 17 (1981): 174-190.
· Afsaneh Najmabadi, “Is Our Name Remembered? Writing the History of Iranian Constitutionalism as if Women and Gender Mattered,” Iranian Studies vol. 29, nos. 1-2 (Winter-Spring 1996): 59-81.
· Laurence Lockhart, “The Constitutional Laws of Persia: An Outline of Their Origin and Development,” Middle East Journal vol. 13, no. 4 (Autumn 1959): 372-388.
Feb. 7: Traditionalism and Westernization
· Ann Lambton, "The Impact of West on Persia," International Affairs vol. 33, 1 (January 1957): 12-25.
· Said Amir Arjomand, "Traditionalism in Twentieth-century Iran." In Said Amir Arjomand (ed.), From Nationalism to Revolutionary Islam (Albany: SUNY Press, 1984), pp. 195-232.
Additional Readings:
· T. Cuyler Young, “The Problem of Westernization in Modern Iran,” Middle East Journal vol. 2, no. 1 (January 1948): 47-59.
· William Millward, “Traditional Values and Social Change in Iran,” Iranian Studies vol. 4, no. 1 (1971): 2-49.
· Hafez Farman Farmayan, “The Forces of Modernization in Nineteenth Century Iran: A Historical Survey.” In William R. Polk and Richard L. Chambers (eds.), Beginning of Modernization in the Middle East in the Nineteenth Century (University of Chicago Press, 1968), pp. 119-151.
· Richard H. Pfaff, “Disengagement from Traditionalism in Turkey and Iran,” Western Political Quarterly vol. 16, no. 1. (March 1963): 79-98.
Feb. 12: Secular and Nationalist Critiques of Islam
· Nikki R. Keddie, “Religion and Irreligion in Early Iranian Nationalism,” Comparative Studies in Society and History vol. 4, no. 3 (April 1962): 265-295.
· Leonard Biner, “The Proofs of Islam: Religion and Politics in Iran.” In George Makdisi (ed.), Arabic Studies and Islamic Studies in Honor of H.A.R. Gibb (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1965), pp. 118-140.
Additional Readings:
· Mangol Bayat-Philipp, "Mirza Aqa Khan Kirmani: A Nineteenth Century Persian Nationalist." In Elie Kedourie and Sylvia Haim (eds.) Toward A Modern Iran: Studies in Thought, Politics and Society (London: Frank Cass, 1980), pp. 64-95.
· Mehrdad Kia, “Nationalism, Modernization and Islam in the Writings of Talibov-e Tabrizi,” Middle East Studies vol. 30, no. 2 (1994): 201-223.
· Ervand Abrahamian, "Kasravi: The Integrative Nationalist of Iran." In Elie Kedourie and Sylvia Haim (eds.) Towards A Modern Iran: Studies in Thought, Politics and Society (1980), pp. 96-131.
Feb. 14: Reza Shah and the Formation of the Modern Bureaucratic State
· Keddie, pp. 73-104.
· Mehrzad Boroujerdi, “Triumphs and Travails of Authoritarian Modernization in Iran.” In Stephanie Cronin (ed.), The Making of Modern Iran: State and Society under Riza Shah, 1921-1941 (London: Routledge, 2003), pp. 146-154.
· Houshang E. Chehabi, “Staging the Emperor’s New Cloths: Dress Codes and Nation-Building under Reza Shah,” Iranian Studies vol. 26, nos. 3-4 (Summer-Fall 1993): 209-229.
Additional Readings:
· Lois Beck, “Tribes and the State in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Iran.” In Philip S. Khouri and Joseph Kostiner (eds.) Tribes and State Formation in the Middle East (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990), pp. 185-225.
· Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, “Patriotic Womanhood: The Culture of Feminism in Modern Iran, 1900-1941,” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies vol. 32, no. 1 (May 2005).
· Mohammad H. Faghfoory, “The Ulama-State Relations in Iran: 1921-1941,” International Journal of Middle East Studies vol. 19, no. 4 (Nov. 1987): 413-432.
Feb. 19: Political Elite, Parties, Elections under Mohammad Reza Shah
· Keddie, pp. 132-169.
· Khosrow Fatemi, “Leadership by Distrust: The Shah’s Modus Operandi,” Middle East Journal vol. 36, no. 1 (Winter 1982): 48-61.
· Leonard Binder, “The Cabinet of Iran: A Case Study in Institutional Adaptation,” Middle East Journal vol. 16, no. 1 (Winter 1962): 29-47.
· Ervand Abrahamian, “The Guerrilla Movement in Iran, 1963-1977,” MERIP Reports no. 86 (March-April 1980): 3-15.
Additional Readings:
· James A. Bill, “The Plasticity of Informal Politics: The Case of Iran,” Middle East Journal vol. 27, no. 2 (Spring 1973): 131-151.
· William Green Miller, “Political Organization in Iran: From Dowreh to Political Party: Part I,” Middle East Journal vol. 23, no. 2 (Spring 1969): 159-167; and “Part II,” Middle East Journal vol. 23, no. 3 (Summer 1969): 343-350.
· Roger M. Savory, “The Principle of Homeostasis Considered in Relation to Political Events in Iran in the 1960's,” International Journal of Middle East Studies vol. 3, no. 3 (July 1972): 282-302.
· L.P. Elwell-Sutton, “Political Parties in Iran: 1941-1948,” Middle East Journal vol. 3, no. 1 (January 1949): 45-62.
Feb. 21: Iranian Nationalism
· Mehdi Akhavan Saless, “I Love You, Ancient Homeland.” In Nahid Mozaffari and Ahmad Karimi Hakkak (eds.), Strange Times, My Dear: The PEN Anthology of Contemporary Iranian Literature (New York: Arcade Publishing, 2005), pp. 383-388.
· Afsaneh Namabadi, “The Erotic Vatan [Homeland] as Beloved and Mother: To Love, to Possess, and To Protect,” Comparative Studies in Society and History vol. 39, no. 3 (July 1997): 442-467.
· S. R. Shafaq, “Patriotic Poetry in Modern Iran,” Middle East Journal vol. 6, no. 4 (Autumn 1952): 417-428.
· Mehrzad Boroujerdi, "Contesting Nationalist Constructions of Iranian Identity,” Critique: Journal for Critical Studies of the Middle Eastno. 12(Spring 1998): 43-55.
Additional Readings:
· Charles Kurzman, “Weaving Iran into the Tree of Nations,” International Journal of Middle East Studies vol. 37, no. 2 (May 2005): 137-166.
· Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, “Perceptions of the Land in Iranian Nationalism,” Critique: Journal for Critical Studies of the Middle Eastno. 10(Spring 1997): 19-37.
· L.P. Elwell-Sutton, “Nationalism and Neutralism in Iran,” Middle East Journal vol. 12, no. 1 (Winter 1958): 20-32.
Feb. 26: Politics and Economic Cleavages (Book reviews are due)
· Ahmad Ashraf, "Historical Obstacles to the Development of a Bourgeoisie in Iran." In M.A. Cook (ed.) Studies in the Economic History of the Middle East (New York, Oxford University Press, 1970), pp. 308-332.
· Theda Skocpol, "Rentier State and Shi'a Islam in the Iranian Revolution," Theory and Society vol. 11, no. 3 (May 1982): 265-283.
· M.H. Pesaran, “The System of Dependent Capitalism in Pre- and Post-revolutionary Iran,” International Journal of Middle East Studies vol. 14, no. 4 (November 1982): 501-522.
Additional Readings:
· Charles Issawi, “The Iranian Economy 1925-1975: Fifty Years of Economic Development.” In George Lenzcowski (ed.), Iran Under the Pahlevis (Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1978), pp. 129-166.
· Thomas Walton, "Economic Development and Revolutionary Upheavals in Iran," Cambridge Journal of Economics vol. 4, no. 3 (September 1980): 271-292.
· Jahangir Amuzegar, “The Iranian Economy before and after the Revolution,” Middle East Journal vol. 46, no. 3 (Summer 1992): 413-425.
Feb. 28: Viewing the 1979 Revolution
· Video: Iran: A Revolution Betrayed (VC 6258; 60 min.)
· History of the 1979 Revolution
Additional Readings:
· William Hanaway Jr. “The Symbolism of Persian Revolutionary Posters.” In Barry M. Rosen (ed.), Iran Since the Revolution: Internal Dynamics, Regional Conflict and the Superpowers (New York: Columbia University Press, 1985), pp. 31-50.
Mar. 5: Midterm Examination
Mar. 7: Theorizing the Revolution (I)
· Keddie, pp. 214-239.
· Shahrough Akhavi, “Shi’ism, Corporatism and Rentierism in the Iranian Revolution.” In Juan Cole (ed.), Comparing Muslim Societies: Knowledge and the State in a World Civilization (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1992), pp. 261-293.
Additional Readings:
· Mangol Bayat, "The Iranian Revolution of 1978-79: Fundamentalist or Modern?" Middle East Journal vol. 37, no. 1 (Winter 1983): 30-42.
· G. H. Razi, "The Nexus of Legitimacy and Performance: The Lessons of Iranian Revolution," Comparative Politics vol. 19, no. 4 (July 1987): 453-69.
· Val Moghadam, “The Left and Revolution in Iran: A Critical Analysis.” In Hooshang Amirahmadi and Manoucher Parvin (eds.), Post-Revolutionary Iran (Boulder: Westview Press, 1988), pp. 23-40.
Mar. 12 & 14: No classes (Spring Break)
Mar. 19: Theorizing the Revolution (II)
· John Foran, “A Century of Revolution: Comparative, Historical, and Theoretical Perspectives on Social Movements in Iran.” In John Foran (ed.), A Century of Revolution: Social Movements in Iran (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1994), pp. 223-237.
· Fred Halliday, “The Iranian Revolution in Comparative Perspective.” In Fred Halliday, Islam & The Myth of Confrontation (I.B. Tauris, 1999), pp. 42-75.
Mar. 21: Politics and Praxis of Clerics and Ayatollah Khomeini
· Keddie, pp. 240-262.
· Willem M. Floor, “The Revolutionary Character of the Iranian Ulama: Wishful Thinking or Reality?” International Journal of Middle East Studies vol. 12, no. 4 (December 1980): 501-524.
Additional Readings:
· Michael M.J. Fischer, “Imam Khomeini: Four Levels of Understanding.” In John L. Esposito (ed.), Voices of Resurgent Islam (New York: Oxford University Press, 1983), pp. 150-174.
· Hamid Enayat, “Iran: Khumayni’s Concept of the ‘Guardianship of the Jurisconsult’.” In James Piscatori (ed.), Islam in the Political Process (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983), pp. 160-180.
Mar. 26: The Islamic Republic in Power
· Keddie, pp. 263-284.
· Post-revolutionary Iran through Pictures
· BBC web page on Iranian political infrastructure
· Ahmad Shamlu, “In This Blind Alley.” In Nahid Mozaffari and Ahmad Karimi Hakkak (eds.), Strange Times, My Dear: The PEN Anthology of Contemporary Iranian Literature (New York: Arcade Publishing, 2005), pp. 365-373.
· Kazem Alamdari, “The Power Structure of Islamic Republic of Iran: Transition from Populism to Clientelism, and Militarization of the Government,” Third World Quarterly vol. 26, no. 8 (December 2005): 1285-1301.
Additional Readings:
· Nader Entessar, “The Military and Politics in the Islamic Republic of Iran.” In Hooshang Amirahmadi and Manochahr Parvin (eds.), Post-Revolutionary Iran (Boulder: Westview Press, 1986), pp. 56-74.
· Shahrough Akhavi, “Elite Factionalism in the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Middle East Journal vol. 41, no. 2 (1987): 181-217.
· Anthony Gill and Arang Keshavarzian, “State Building and Religious Resources: An Institutional Theory of Church-State Relations in Iran and Mexico,” Politics & Society vol. 27, no. 3 (September 1999): 431-465.
· Siavoshi, Sussan. “Cultural Policies and the Islamic Republic: Cinema and Book Publication,” International Journal of Middle East Studies vol. 29, no. 4. (November 1997): 509-530.
Mar. 28: American-Iranian Relations
· Mark J. Gasiorowski, “The 1953 coup d’etat in Iran,” International Journal of Middle East Studies vol. 19, no. 3 (August 1987): 261-286.
· Habib Ladjevardi, "The Origins of U.S. Support for an Autocratic Iran,” International Journal of Middle East Studies vol. 15, no. 2. (May 1983): 225-239.
· R.K. Ramazani, “Who Lost America? The Case of Iran,” Middle East Journal vol. 36, no. 1 (Winter 1982): 5-21.
Additional Readings:
· Chronology of Iran-US Relations
· Declassified CIA account of the 1953 coup
· The Coup in Iran from the Archives
· Shah and various American Presidents
· James A. Bill, “Pahlavism in America: The Informal Politics of Foreign Policy-Making.” In James A. Bill, The Eagle and the Lion: The Tragedy of American-Iranian Relations (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988), pp. 319-378.
· “The Iranian Revolution 25 years Later: An Oral History with Henry Precht, then State Department Desk Officer,” Middle East Journal vol. 58, no. 1 (Winter 2004): 9-31.
· William Beeman, “Images of the Great Satan: Representations of the United States in the Iranian Revolution.” In Nikki R. Keddie (ed.), Religion and Politics in Iran (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983), pp. 191-217.
Apr. 2: American View of Iran
· Video: Iran: The Most Dangerous Country
Apr. 4: The Iranian Nuclear Controversy
· TBA
Apr. 9: Youths and Dissidents
· Video: Red Lines and Deadlines (60 min.)
· Timothy Gordon Ash, “Soldiers of the Hidden Imam,” New York Review of Books, vol. 52, no. 17 (November 3, 2005).
· Laura Secor, “Fugitives: Young Iranians Confront the Collapse of the Reform Movement,” The New Yorker (December 21, 2005): 62-75.
· Parvin Darabi, “My Testimony, Why I am not a Muslim”
Apr. 11: Women and Politics
· Video: Mrs. President: Women & Political Leadership in Iran (VC10295; 46)
· Keddie, pp. 285-297.
· Valentine Moghadam, “Islamic Feminism and Its Discontents: Toward a Resolution of the Debate,” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society vol. 27, no. 4 (Summer 2002): 1135-1171.
Additional Readings:
· Kamran Talattof, “Iranian Women’s Literature: From Pre-Revolutionary Social Discourse to Post-Revolutionary Feminism,” International Journal of Middle East Studies vol. 29, no. 4 (November 1997): 531-558.
· Homa Hoodfar, “Devices and Desires: Population Policy and Gender Roles in the Islamic Republic,” Middle East Report no. 190 (September-October 1994):11-17.
Apr. 16: Women and the Social Domain
· Parvin Alizadeh and Barry Harper, “The Feminisation of the Labour Force in Iran.” In Ali Mohammadi (ed.), Iran Encounters Globalization: Problems and Prospects (London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003), pp. 180-196.
· Ziba Mir-Hosseini, “Women, Marriage and the Law in Post-Revolutionary Iran.” In Haleh Afshar (ed.), Women in the Middle East: Perceptions, Realities and Struggles for Liberation(London: Macmillan, 1993), pp. 59-84.
Additional Readings:
· Shahla Haeri, “Temporary Marriage: An Islamic Discourse on Female Sexuality in Iran.” In Mahnaz Afkhami and Erika Friedl (eds.), In the Eye of the Storm: Women in Post-revolutionary Iran (Syracuse University Press, 1994), pp. 98-114.
· Homa Hoodfar, “The Veil in Their Minds and on Our Heads: The Persistence of Colonial Images of Muslim Women.” In David Lloyd and Lisa Lowe (eds.), The Politics of Culture in the Shadow of the Capital (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1997), pp. 248-79.
· Faegheh Shirazi-Mahajan, "A Dramaturgical Approach to Hijab in Post-Revolutionary Iran," Critique: Journal of Critical Studies of the Middle East (Fall 1995): 35-51.
· Camelia Entekhabi-Fard, “Behind the Veil,” Mother Jones (May/June 2001).
Apr. 18: Elite Circulation
· TBA
Apr. 23: How Theocratic is the Islamic Republic?
· BBC web page on Iranian political infrastructure http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/iran_power/html/default.stm
· Said Amir Arjomand, “Shi’ite Jurisprudence and Constitution Making in the Islamic Republic of Iran.” In Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby (eds.), Fundamentalisms and the State: Remaking Polities, Economies and Militancy, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993), pp. 88-109.
· H.E. Chehabi, “The Impossible Republic: Contradictions of Iran’s Islamic State,” Contention: Debates in Society, Culture, and Science vol. 5, no. 3 (Spring 1996): 135-154.
Additional Readings:
· Michael Fischer, “Becoming Mollah: Reflections on Iranian Clerics in a Revolutionary Age,” Iranian Studies 13, nos. 1-4 (1980): 83-117.
· Sami Zubaida, "An Islamic State? The Case of Iran," Middle East Report no. 153 (July-August 1988): 3-7.
Apr. 25: Paradoxes of a Modern Day Theocratic State
· Mehrzad Boroujerdi, “The Paradoxes of Politics in Postrevolutionary Iran.” In John L. Esposito and R. K. Ramazani (eds.), Iran at the Crossroads (New York: Palgrave, 2001), pp. 13-27.
· Mehrzad Boroujerdi, “The Reformist Movement in Iran.” In Daniel Heradstveit and Helge Hveem (eds.), Oil in the Gulf: Obstacles to Democracy and Development (London: Ashgate, 2004), pp. 63-71.
Additional Readings:
· H.E. Chehabi, "The Political Regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Comparative Perspective," Government and Opposition vol. 36, no. 1 (January 2001): 48-70.
· Oliver Roy, “The Crisis of Religious Legitimacy in Iran,” Middle East Journal vol. 53, no. 2 (Spring 1999): 201-216.
Apr. 30: Evaluations & Open Discussion about the Course (Research papers are due)
SELECTED WEBSITES
MAPS:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/middle_east.html
HISTORY:
Persian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine Eras (500 BCE - 500 CE) Benchmarks in Modern History of Iran
Political Chronology http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tehran/etc/cron.html
DATA:
US Department of State http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5314.htm
Iran's Size Comparison with the US http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/atlas_middle_east/iran_area.jpg
Atlas of Iran http://www.mgm.fr/PUB/Iran
Land Use http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/atlas_middle_east/iran_land.jpg
Country Profile http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Iran.pdf
Library of Congress Country Study http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
Statistics on Iran http://www.nationmaster.com/country/ir-iran
Iran's Share of World Crude Oil Reserves http://www.opec.org/home/PowerPoint/Reserves/OPEC%20share.htm
NEWS:
News and Views about Iran www.Iranian.com
News Site on Iran http://www.iranmania.com/defaultenglish.asp
Radio Farda http://www.radiofarda.com/
Iran Daily http://www.iran-daily.com/
Iranian Media Directory www.gooya.com
GOVERNMENT:
Governments on the WWW: Iran http://www.gksoft.com/govt/en/ir.html
Iranian Mission to the UN http://www.un.int/iran/
Iranian Parliament http://mellat.Majles.ir/
Presidency of the Islamic Republic http://www.president.ir
OTHER: Encyclopædia Iranica http://www.iranica.com/
Sample Persian Miniatures http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/index_gallery.html
Iranian women's homepage http://www.irandokht.com/
Pictures of Iran http://www.worldisround.com/articles/73022/index.html
Pictures of Iran http://www.riccardozipoli.com/
Selected Internet Sources on Iran http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/amed/iran/iran.html
Persian Calendar Program http://www.payvand.com/calendar/
Iran's First National Anthem http://www.iranclip.com/player/1012
Civil Code of Iran http://www.iranhrdc.org/english/pdfs/Codes/TheCivilCode.pdf
Penal Code of Iran http://www.iranhrdc.org/english/pdfs/Codes/ThePenalCode.pdf
Selected Videos and Films
Video: Mystic Iran: The Unseen World (VC 11109; 52 min.)
Video: Iran: Veiled Appearances (VC 11340; 59 min.).
Video: Divorce Iranian Style (VC 10254; 80 min.).
Video: Zinat One Special Day (VC 11628; 54 min.)
Video: Ancient Persia (VC 2220; 11 min.)
Film: Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (VC 6194; 70 min.)
Film: Leila (VC 8694; 102 minutes)
Film: Where is My Friend's House? (VC 8720; 90 min.)
Film: Two Women (VC 10171; 96 min.)
Film: Color of Paradise (VC 10214; 90 min.)
Film: Children of Heaven (VC 10312; 83 minutes)
Books suitable for the Book Review Project
Ervand Abrahamian, Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999).
Fariba Adelkhah, Being Modern in Iran (New York: Columbia University Press, 2000).
Janet Afary and Kevin B. Anderson, Foucault and the Iranian Revolution: Gender and the Seductions of Islamism (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005).
Gholam R. Afkhami, The Iranian Revolution: Thanatos on a National Scale (Washington, DC: Middle East Institute, 1985).
Reza Afshari, Human Rights in Iran: The Abuse of Cultural Relativism (Univ. of Pennsylvania Press, 2001).
Jalal Al-i Ahmad, Occidentosis: A Plague From the West (1983).
Said Amir Arjomand, The Turban for the Crown: The Islamic Revolution in Iran (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988).
Ali M. Ansari, Confronting Iran: The Failure of American Foreign Policy and the Next Great Conflict in the Middle East (New York: Basic Books, 2006).
Bahman Baktiari, Parliamentary Politics in Revolutionary Iran (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1996).
Hossein Bashiriyeh, The State and Revolution in Iran, 1962-1982 (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1984).
Asef Bayat, Street Politics: Poor People's Movements in Iran (New York: Columbia University Press, 1997).
William Beeman, The "Great Satan" vs. the "Mad Mullahs": How the United States and Iran Demonize Each Other (Praeger Publishers, 2005).
Maziar Behrooz, Rebels With a Cause: The Failure of the Left in Iran (London: I.B. Tauris, 2000).
James A. Bill, The Eagle and the Lion: The Tragedy of American-Iranian Relations (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988).
Daniel Brumberg, Reinventing Khomeini: The Struggle for Reform in Iran (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001).
Wilfried Buchta, Who Rules Iran? The Structure of Power in the Islamic Republic (Washington, DC: Washington Institute for Near Eastern Policy, 2000).
Anthony H. Cordesman, Iran’s Military Forces in Transition(Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999).
Hamid Dabashi, Iran: A People Interrupted (New York: New Press, 2007).
Samih Farsoun and Mehrdad Mashayekhi (eds.), Iran: Political Culture in the Islamic Republic (London: Routledge, 1992).
Mark J. Gasiorowski and Malcolm Byrne (eds.), Mohammed Mosaddeq and the 1953 Coup in Iran (Syracuse University Press, 2004)
Ali Gheissari and Vali Nasr, Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006).
Roya Hakakian, Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran (New York: Three River Press, 2004).
Forough Jahanbakhsh, Islam, Democracy and Religious Modernism in Iran (Brill, 2001)
Ramin Jahanbegloo (ed.), Iran: Between Tradition and Modernity (Lanham, Lexington Books, 2004).
Nikki Keddie, Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003).
Ruhollah Khomeini, Islam and Revolution (Berkeley: Mizan Press, 1980).
Charles Kurzman, The Unthinkable Revolution in Iran (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2004).
Sandra Mackey, The Iranians: Persia, Islam and the Soul of a Nation (New York: Plume, 1996).
Vanessa Martin, Creating an Islamic State: Khomeini & the Making of a New Iran (Tauris, 2000).
Farzaneh Milani, Veils and Worlds: The Emerging Voices of Iranian Women Writers (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1992).
Ziba Mir-Hosseini, Islam and Gender: The Religious Debate in Contemporary Iran (Princeton, 1999).
Heshmat Moayyaed (ed.), Stories from Iran: An Anthology of Persian Short Fiction from 1921-1991 (Washington, Mage Publishers, 2002).
Azadeh Moaveni, Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran (New York: Public Affairs, 2005).
Mehdi Moslem, Factional Politics in Post-Khomeini Iran (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2002).
Nahid Mozaffari and Ahmad Karimi Hakkak (eds.), Strange Times, My Dear: The PEN Anthology of Contemporary Iranian Literature (New York: Arcade Publishing, 2005)
Negin Nabavi, Intellectuals and the State in Iran: Politics, Discourse, and the Dilemma of Authenticity (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2003).
Azar Nafici, Reading Lolita in Iran: a Memoir in Books (New York: Random House, 2004).
Afsaneh Najmabadi, Women with Mustaches and Men Without Beards: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity (Berkeley: University of California, 2005).
Farhad Nomani and Sohrab Behdad, Class and Labor in Iran: Did the Revolution Matter? (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2006).
Kenneth Pollack, The Persian Puzzle: The Conflict Between Iran and America (New York: Random House, 2004).
Nasrin Alavi, We Are Iran: The Persian Blogs (Brooklyn, NY: Soft Skull Press, 2005).
Parvin Paidar, Women and the Political Process in Twentieth-Century Iran (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995).
Misagh Parsa, States, Ideologies & Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of Iran. Nicaragua and the Philippines (Cambridge, 2000)
Stephen C. Poulson, Social Movements in Twentieth-Century Iran: Culture, Ideology, and Mobilizing Frameworks (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2005).
Maryam Poya, Women, Work, & Islamism: Ideology and Resistance in Iran (London: Zed Books, 1999).
R.K. Ramazani, Revolutionary Iran: Challenges and Response in the Middle East (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1986).
Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (NY: Pantheon, 2003).
Asghar Schirazi, The Constitution of Iran: Politics and the State in the Islamic Republic (London: I.B. Tauris, 1997).
Gary Sick, All Fall Down: America's Tragic Encounter with Iran (New York: Random House, 1985).
Roxanne Varzi, Warring Souls: Youth, Media, and Martyrdom in Post-Revolutionary Iran (Durham: Duke University Press, 2006).
