Since the 1979 Revolution, Iran has been a constant fixture in American and Western media and political discourses. And yet, the modern history of Iran remains opaque not only to the leading figures who shape official discourse, but also to broader publics throughout the Global North. From the late nineteenth-century Qajar dynasty, through the 1905 Constitutional Revolution, to the present-day Islamic Republic, modern Iran has and continues to be a vibrant nation with a rich, interwoven history, defined politically by intricate internal dynamics alongside the geopolitical and economic pressures of capitalism and imperialism alike. How should we understand the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty? The nationalization of oil led by the nationalist reformer Mohammad Mossadeq and his subsequent, U.S.-backed overthrow? The diverse opposition movements that led to the Islamic Revolution? And of course, the Revolution itself? What are the equally crucial transformations of modern Iranian life, in their religious, cultural, gendered, and even aesthetic dimensions?
This course serves as an introduction to the modern history of Iran, attending to these and other significant events alongside related questions through a broad range of interdisciplinary approaches, from the social sciences to the visual arts. We will look not only to the past but also the evolution of the Islamic Republic’s post-revolutionary political system and its trajectory as a regional power over the past four decades. We will closely examine the institutions of Iran’s state and society. And we will ask further: how has the profound impact of the Islamic Revolution changed the dynamics of Iranian society and ideologies? What accounts for Iran’s long and varied modes of cultural production? What are the influence and effects of sanctions regimes, regional dynamics, and security concerns on Iranian life? How have questions of nationalism and identity been posed, professed, and contested? Finally, what is the role of Iran in the world today?
