Introduction: The Iranian Revolution Turns 30 (original) (raw)
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Iranian Revolution: An Unfulfilled Religious Movement and a Persistent Anti-imperialist Spirit
The Iranian Revolution in 1979 played an important role in reshaping regional politics and impacting the Muslim world. This major political event is significant in three ways. First, the Islamic government replaced the pro-Western regime in Iran. The new republic aimed to take the lead in the anti-imperial and Islamic movements. Second, while involving in non-aligned movement and taking a stand against global powers like the United States and the Soviet Union, Iran itself emerged as an independent political and religious power, challenging the existing regimes in the region. Here, Islamic ideology played a crucial role in shaping foreign policy in the post-revolution Iran. Third, the revolutionary Iran, which once attempted to export its revolution, gradually moves away from its original revolutionary spirit. The notions of anti-Zionism and anti-US imperialism are still maintained, but Iran started to behave more like a rational state actor that constantly thrives for security to ensure its survival.
Third World Quarterly, 1988
Studies of the Iranian revolution of 1977-79 have gone through at least three overlapping phases. In the first phase, influenced strongly by the political and emotional immediacy of the revolution itself, many of the critiques and battle cries of the opposition against the ...
40 Years On: Reflections on the Iranian Revolution
Abdou Filali-Ensari Occasional Paper Series , 2019
In this Series we publish progressive, innovative research to generate discussion and contribute to the advancement of knowledge. The papers represent work from affiliated faculty, fellows, researchers, and doctoral students across a wide range of research areas, demonstrating both the depth and breadth of research being undertaken at the Institute. We also offer the opportunity for our Masters students who have won the best thesis award to publish an abridged version of their thesis with us. We also welcome submissions from external researchers that directly address current AKU-ISMC research priorities.
Iran: a revolutionary republic in transition
2012
This Chaillot Paper examines recent domestic developments in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The volume presents an in-depth assessment of the farreaching changes that the Iranian state and Iranian society have undergone since the 1979 revolution, with a particular focus on the social and political turmoil of the past five years. It is clear that in many ways the Islamic Republic is in the throes of a transition where many of its fundamental tenets are being called into question. Profound and ongoing internal transformations in Iranian society already affect the country’s foreign policy posture, as some of its domestic and external issues converge and will most likely continue to do so. Pertinent examples are the nuclear issue and the socio-political upheaval in neighbouring Arab countries. Edited by Rouzbeh Parsi, the volume features contributions from five authors who are all specialists in various aspects of Iranian politics and society. Each author explores some of the most crucial variables of the Iranian body politic. Their focus on distinct dimensions of Iranian society and culture casts light on the changes afoot in contemporary Iran and how the political elite controlling the state respond to these challenges.
The Iranian Revolution: From Monarchy to the Islamic Republic
Understanding and Teaching the Modern Middle East (University of Wisconsin Press), 2020
"One way to present a more complex picture is to focus the discussion of the revolution around three “actors”: the Pahlavi State, the Opposi- tion, and the People. In doing so, we suggest emphasis be placed on how each of these actors creates a different periodization and frame- work of analysis for the revolution, even though they all intersected in the lead-up to 1979. This division can also fit onto an imperfect timeline that moves from the 1950s to the 1970s as demonstrated below. By shift- ing the beginning point of the revolution, and by presenting multiple explanations for the events leading to it, educators can simultaneously stress the unpredictable nature of this revolution (and revolutions in gen- eral), acknowledge how an event as forceful as a revolution can simul- taneously be many things to many people, and probe with students the degree to which their current ideas about politics, religion, culture, and even revolution determine their views of the past. To facilitate this, in each section we introduce mainly primary sources that embody the com- plexities this essay highlights. There is, of course, a rich body of scholar- ship focusing on the political, economic, cultural, ideological, and social causes of the revolution, a few of which we have referenced below but many of which can be found in online searches of libraries or syllabi on modern Iran or the Middle East."
2024
he Iran Islamic Revolution of 1979 marked a watershed moment in modern history. Triggered by socio-economic grievances and fueled by religious fervor, it culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy and the establishment of an Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khomeini's leadership. This seismic shift reshaped Iran's domestic landscape, ushering in a new era of political Islam and fundamentally altering the country's trajectory. Internationally, it spurred debates on the role of religion in governance and set the stage for Iran's complex relations with the West and its neighbors. Decades later, the revolution's legacy continues to reverberate, shaping Iranian society, politics, and foreign policy in profound ways.
The Failure of the Islamic Revolution: the nature of the present crisis in Iran
Confusion on the Left around the 2009 electoral crisis in Iran has been expressed both in defense of President Ahmadinejad's claim to victory as well as by support of Iranian dissidents and protesters. Slavoj Žižek has weighed in, questioning prevailing understandings of the nature of the Iranian regime and its Islamist character. Responses have recapitulated problems on the Left in understanding the Islamic Revolution since 1979. All share in attributing to Iran an autonomous historical rhythm or logic of its own, rather than as a symptomatic effect of a greater history. Žižek has come closest to addressing this issue of greater context, but even he has failed to address the history of the Left.