Iran Divided

The Historical Roots of Iranian Debates on Identity, Culture, and Governance in the Twenty-First Century

By (author) Shireen T. Hunter

Not available to order

Publication date:

17 September 2014

Length of book:

272 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442233201

Iranian politics has been marked by sharp ideological divisions and infighting. These divides, kept largely out of public view until the 1990s, came to greater light with the contested 2009 presidential elections. To explain the diverse and complex forces that led to this event and that animate Iran’s current fractured society and polity, author Shireen T. Hunter looks beyond the battle between the forces of reform and reaction, democracy and dictatorship, and considers the historic forces that created the conditions faced by Iran since the revolution.

Iran Divided: The Historic Roots of Iranian Debates on Identity, Culture, and Governance in the 21st Century explains historical and political factors and their relevance to Iran today, shedding light on the forces behind Iranian politics and society. This book discusses:

historical roots of Iran’s current divisions and debates;
Iran versus Islam;
secularism versus religion;
constitutionalism versus Islamic government;
fundamental issues of identity, culture, and governance;
aging of the revolutionary coalition;
development of new elites;
experiences of the Islamic republic;
and new international conditions moving the country beyond old divides and ideological rifts toward a new national consensus.

A comprehensive survey, the book will be an indispensable tool to any student seeking to understand the Islamic Republic of Iran and its standing in the world today.

PART I: HISTORIC ROOTS OF CURRENT DEBATES
1. Iran’s Social, Economic, Political, and Cultural Conditions at the Dawn of the 19th Century
2. Encounter with the West, Efforts at Reform and Modernizaiton, and Their Consequences
3. The Left in Iran: Origins and Evolution
4. Islamic Opposition to the Shah: Groups, Individuals, and Thinking

PART II: POST-REVOLUTION DEVELOPMENTS
5. The Revolution Triumphs, the Coalition Fractures, and Power Struggles Begin
6. Factions, Discourses and Politics in the Islamic Republic of Iran: 1980-1997
7. The Left’s Revenge, the Khatami Presidency, and the Reformist Discourse
8. Khatami’s Second Term, 2001-2005: Continued Domestic Bickering and New International Challenges
9. Ahmadinejad Presidency’s First Term (2005-2009): Restoring Revolutionary Values
10. Presidential Elections of 2009 and Ahmadinejad’s Second Term
11. June 2013 Presidential Elections: Outcome, Significance, and Potential Consequences

CONCLUSION
Afterword

Shireen Hunter's new book is a fascinating survey of Iranian factional politics. She traces the essential divisions back to the earliest days, and presents them to the reader in a graceful and accessible style. The politics of the Islamic Republic, she argues, is rooted in the discourse of pre-revolutionary Iran. This is a book for anyone who would like to penetrate the thickets of Iranian politics, and perhaps even gain a perspective of where it may be headed.