HIST 239 - Special Topics Course in Global History

SPRING 2019 Topic: The Making of Modern Iran, 1500 - 2009

Twentieth century Iranian history was characterized by revolutions (in 1906 and 1978), military occupation, and coups. This period demonstrated tensions between competing visions of modern Iran, forged over the preceding four centuries; the emergence of Khomeinism and Guardianship of the Jurists was never a foregone conclusion. This course will examine the history of the Iranian state and society, beginning with the emergence of a Shi’i Safavid Empire in 1501 and ending with Green Movement protests following the 2009 Presidential Election. Rejecting approaches to Iran that reduce its history to the origins of the Islamic Revolution, the course will explore the complexity of modern Iranian history, from Sufi-ruled empire to a politically fragmented monarchy to a centralizing national state. Iran has been home to diverse cultural, religious, and ideological currents. It will trace the rise of Iranian nationalism, in inclusive and exclusive forms, regional separatism, secularism, and the Islamist and left-wing opposition into and through the twentieth century. The course will seek to nuance and complicate students’ impressions of Iran by including views from Iranian women and religious and linguistic minorities. Finally, it will place this society in contexts of the Middle East, Persianate Eurasia, and global modernity.

May be repeated for credit (2 times)

Anticipated Terms Offered: Every other year