Iran Between Two Revolutions is a book by Ervand Abrahamian that was published in 1982 by Princeton University Press.
 | |
| Author | Ervand Abrahamian |
|---|---|
| Language |
|
| Subject | Iran's history, from the constitutional revolution to the 1979 revolution |
| Publisher | Princeton University Press |
Publication date | 1982 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 561 |
| ISBN | 978-0-691-10134-7 |
| Website | press.princeton.edu |
Content
editThe book was written in English based on political sociology, to analyze the social and political events of the last century in Iran. The book has been translated into Persian language and reprinted 30 times in Iran by different publishers.[1][2][3][4]
The author examines the history of Iran from the constitutional revolution in 1905 to the Islamic revolution of 1979 and has divided the book into three main parts: historical background, anti-social politics and contemporary Iran. The main purpose of this book is to analyze the social foundations of Iran's politics, and Abrahamian does this by examining class and ethnic conflicts over the past hundred years and in the relationship between socio-economic developments and Iran's political development. According to the book, undoubtedly, the emergence of new social classes, especially the traditional middle class and the intellectual class, and the emergence of political parties and groups and the conflicts and controversies between them, has accelerated the formation of the contemporary Iran.[5]
"Ethnic groups" and "social classes" play an effective role in contemporary Iran. In the book, the term "ethnic group" is used to mean the grouping of people based on language, tribal descent, religion or co-provinciality, and the term "social class" consists of people who have mutual relations and behavior and common in developed environments with the same economic, social and political situations.[6] Abrahamian looks into the economic relations and political development of Iran in the last hundred years by examining the ethnic groups, social classes, parties and political groups of that time and illuminates the emergence of incomplete and immature modernity and democracy in Iran. The book "Iran Between Two Revolutions" can be divided into three parts:[7]
- Examining the historical contexts of developing Iran (the social contexts of the constitutional revolution and its failure to remove tyranny)
- Investigating social forces and developments and international events in the fall of Reza Shah and the foundation of the Pahlavi II government
- Investigating the heterogeneous and unbalanced socio-economic programs of Pahlavi II and the contexts of the emergence of the Islamic revolution of 1979
Reception
editA group of critics believe that the author has leftist intellectual tendencies.[8] And he is one of the orientalists who, with a Marxist theoretical framework, aims to examine the course of social developments in Iran between the two constitutional revolution and the Islamic revolution, and it seems that with emphasizing on the economic factors, the author intended to show that the Iranian Revolution was not so Islamic.[9] The book is based on the neo-Marxist approach of E. P. Thompson that the phenomenon of class should not be understood only in terms of its relationship with the mode of production (as ritual Marxists often believe), but on the contrary, it is necessary to examine class in the context of historical time and its social friction with other contemporary classes.[10]
The author believes that in the last hundred years, there was never a link between the government and social structures of Iran. In other words, the constitutional government did not arise from the society, and this made the ruling groups and modern forces far apart, and the communication between the communities (the traditional middle class, mainly the clergy and marketers) and the government was cut off; Therefore, this heterogeneous development had no attraction for the Iranian society, especially the traditional middle class, and further, it led to the formation of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Ervand Abrahamian explains that each of the actions (from the constitutional period to the Islamic revolution) marked the next developments that were exactly disproportionate to the socio-cultural conditions and the structure and body of the Iranian population. In the cities, due to the actions of the government, four classes were formed, including the Pahlavi dynasty, capitalists, the middle class (shopkeepers, employees and teachers) and the working class, which there was no plan to organize them towards the goals of development and advancement.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "بررسی زمینه‌های تاریخی و اجتماعی دو انقلاب بزرگ ایران معاصر – خبرگزاری مهر" [Investigating the historical and social contexts of the two great revolutions of contemporary Iran – Mehr News Agency] (in Persian). 28 December 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "مسئله توسعه ناموزون؛ سیاستی که ایران را در مسیر انقلاب قرار داد – خبرگزاری مهر" [The problem of uneven development; The policy that put Iran on the path of revolution – Mehr news agency] (in Persian). 9 February 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "ایران بین دو انقلاب – نشر نی" [Iran between two revolutions – Ney Publishing] (in Persian). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ Abrahamian, Ervand (1998). کتاب ایران بین دو انقلاب [چ30] – گیسوم [The book of Iran between two revolutions [30th edition] - Gisoom] (in Persian). ISBN 9789643123635. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "ایران بین دو انقلاب: درآمدی بر جامعه‌شناسی سیاسی ایران معاصر" [Iran between two revolutions: an introduction to the sociology of contemporary Iran] (in Persian). Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "نقد کتاب ايران بين دو انقلاب منتشر شد – جهان نيوز" [A review of the book Iran between two revolutions was published – Jahan News] (in Persian). 2 February 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "معرفی، نقد و بررسی «ایران بین دو انقلاب» – لیزنا" [Introduction, criticism and review of "Iran between two revolutions" – Lisna] (in Persian). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "گزارش و نقد کتاب ایران بین دو انقلاب – حوزه" [Report and criticism of the book Iran between two revolutions – Hawzah] (in Persian). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "بررسی و نقد کتاب ایران بین دو انقلاب؛ تحلیل مارکسیستی تک‌خطی از انقلاب اسلامی – پرسمان" [Reviewing and criticizing the book Iran between two revolutions; A one-line Marxist analysis of the Islamic Revolution – Porseman] (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "انتشار نقد كتاب «ايران بين دو انقلاب؛ از مشروطه تا انقلاب اسلامی» – ایسنا" [Publication of a review of the book "Iran between two revolutions; From the Constitution to the Islamic Revolution" – ISNA] (in Persian). 2 February 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "خلاصه کتاب «ایران بین دو انقلاب» – مجله کتابچی" [Summary of the book "Iran between two revolutions" – Katabchi magazine] (in Persian). Retrieved 1 August 2022.