Events - Event View

Instructor: Dr. Nilofar Shidmehr

Understanding contemporary Iran is impossible without exploring six historical events: the Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1906), Iran’s Oil Nationalization (1953), the Iranian Revolution (1979), the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), the Iranian Reform Movement (1997) and the Iranian Green Movement (2009). Each week, we discuss one of these events, its impact in shaping the Iranian modern history, and the political and social changes it created. Each class consists of a forty-five-minute lecture by the instructor and group discussions afterwards.

Week 1 & 2: Modernity:  The Qajars, The Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1909, and the Rise of Reza Shah
We will examine Iran before and after the fall of Qajar Dynasty, and discuss the social changes that followed the introduction of Western modernity. We consider the role of Reza Shah Pahlavi in relation to the Constitutional Revolution.
 
Week 3: Iran at the Front Line of Postcolonial Movement: Iran’s Oil Nationalization in 1953
We will discuss how Prime Minster Mossadegh’s efforts to nationalize Iranian oil shaped a new postcolonial modernity and explains the current tension between Iran and the West.
 
Week 4: Return to Islamic Traditions, Rejecting Modernity: The Iranian Revolution of 1979
We will examine Iranian society immediately before and after the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and explore the significance of this major historical turning point as a reaction to the imposition of Western-style modernity.
 
Week 5: Remake of Modern Iran: The End of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and The Iranian Reform Movement of 1997
We will examine the impact of the Iran-Iraq war on Iranian society and explore the new post-war society emerging after the death of Ayatollah Khomeini. We will also look at how reformists’ ideas of Islamic democracy changed the key terms in political discourse and attracted Iranian youth.
 
Week 6: The Hope for a Modern Democratic Iran: Iranian Green Movement in 2009
In our last session, we will explore how aspirations for a modern democratic Iran inspired the 2009 Iranian Green Movement, subsequently suppressed by authorities and replaced with further oppression, corruption, public depression, and new waves of emigration.