During the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1906 to 1911 a variety of forces played key roles in overthrowing a repressive regime. Afary sheds new light on the role of ordinary citizens and peasantry, the status of Iranian women, and the multifaceted structure of Iranian society.

The Constitutional Revolution of 1906 opened the way for enormous change in Persia, heralding the modern era and creating a model for later political and cultural movements in the region. Broad in its scope, this multidisciplinary volume brings together essays from leading scholars in Iranian Studies to explore the significance of this revolution, its origins, and the people who made it happen. As the authors show, this period was one of unprecedented debate within Iran’s burgeoning press. Many different groups fought to shape the course of the Revolution, which opened up seemingly boundless possibilities for the country’s future and affected nearly every segment of its society. Exploring themes such as the role of women, the use of photography, and the uniqueness of the Revolution as an Iranian experience, the authors tell a story of immense transition, as the old order of the Shah subsided and was replaced by new institutions, new forms of expression, and a new social and political order.

In this thoroughly researched account, Mansour Bonakdarian provides an in-depth exploration of the substantial British support for the Iranian constitutional and national struggle of 1906-1911, illuminating the opposition in Britain to Anglo-Russian imperialist intervention in Iran. In painstaking and compelling detail Bonakdarian analyzes, in particular, the role of the Persia Committee, a lobbying group founded in 1908 for the sole purpose of changing Britain's policy toward Iran. This book's strength lies in its coverage of how Sir Edward Grey's policy toward Iran was shaped and the extent to which this policy was affected by sustained criticism from a number of disparate groups including dissenters, radicals, socialists, liberal imperialists, and conservatives. The volume and breadth of primary archival materials used is extensive. Not only have all the standard collections been examined, such as the Foreign Office files and the Cabinet and Grey papers, but also numerous private archives in international libraries have been consulted. Bonakdarian's deep understanding of the Iranian issues yields a rich and balanced approach to the literature in the field. With clear and systematic arguments, he offers an account of diplomatic history that is accessible and persuasive. His scholarship is certain to reinvigorate dialogue on the subject of Anglo-Iranian relations.

Drawing upon original sources, this study provides the most comprehensive treatment to date of the issue of Armenian politicization and participation in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911). Houri Berberian traces the political, economic, and social situation of Armenians in the nineteenth century with a special emphasis on the Armenian provinces of the Ottoman Empire, which became the focus of the Armenian revolutionary movement in the late nineteenth century, and on the Russian-ruled Caucasus, which became the source of the nationalist and socialist revolutionary movement. Discussion of the Iranian Armenian community includes, for the first time, a look into the roles and activism of Iranian Armenian women. Berberian explores the ideological, political, and pragmatic motivations of Armenians, and examines the collaboration of Armenian and Iranian constitutionalists, drawing attention to the ideological and military contributions of Armenians to the revolution as well as to the internal and external conflicts among Armenian activists and between Armenian and Iranian constitutionalist elements. Berberian concludes with a discussion of the causes and consequences of the retreat of Armenians from Iranian politics.

"By the dawn of the twentieth century, Iran was sinking deeper into crisis. It was losing its economic and political independence to the Russian and British empires as a profligate absolute monarchy threw the country ever deeper into debt. A few intellectuals saw the rule of law as the solution to this, and eventually their ideas were taken up by a broad coalition of merchants, clerics, and artisans. In 1906, it forced the Shah to grant Iran a constitution and soon a parliament (Majles) was elected - both firsts in the Muslim world. Ahmad Kasravi's History of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution chronicles this event and the ensuing struggles. Alternately elegiac and brutally honest, Kasravi's work is central to modern Iranian political consciousness in a way few other author's works are to their nation's. It is respected across the political spectrum. It will strike the reader how fresh the issues raised by the revolution and the ensuing struggles are today. For example, the history presents a spirited defense of secular nationalism but gives a refreshingly honest view of the Islamic polemic against it. Kasravi was born in an impoverished borough of Tabriz. Raised to be a clergyman, he became a zealous champion of constitutionalism, having witnessed his town's constitutionalists' courageous fight for the Majles and the rule of law. Moved by the terrible suffering his province of Azerbaijan underwent in the course of the revolution, he drafted a version of the present history around 1922. The present volume introduces the reader to life in Iran before the Constitutional Revolution, the ferment among the intellectuals and reformers during this period, the revolution's immediate causes, the ensuing mobilizations, and the granting of the Constitution and the opening of the Majles. It closes with a survey of the first period of Iran's constitutional experiment"--Unedited summary from volume 1 cover.

Following Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979, hundreds of thousands of Iranians fled their homeland. For a great number, Los Angeles was their destination, and today more Iranians live there than anywhere else in the world outside of Iran. This compelling collection of photographs, essays, and interviews explores that exodus from Iran and the Iranian presence in Southern California. While capturing the remarkable diversity of this immigrant community, Irangeles also confronts the sprawling metropolis that is increasingly influenced by its large ethnic and immigrant populations. Iranians, too, are inexorably linked to the demographic changes in California--changes that raise questions of assimilation and cultural survival--and that will see minority populations become the majority in the next century. Integrating visual, textual, and oral sources, this book explicates and humanizes the Iranian experience for scholars and general readers alike. We come to know people from a broad range of occupations and income levels, political persuasions, and religious faiths. Supporters of the deposed Pahlavi regime and staunch followers of Khomeini are here, along with other Muslims, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Baha'is. We hear the voices of women--those who veil themselves in public and those who have adopted Western cultural practices--and learn how both old and new gender roles pressure Iranian women and men. Social relations among Iranian adolescents and the conflicts with their elders are also illuminated. Irangeles is a fascinating portrait of a community caught between two cultures. It offers a new perspective on Iran and its people as well as on immigrant communities in general. Following Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979, hundreds of thousands of Iranians fled their homeland. For a great number, Los Angeles was their destination, and today more Iranians live there than anywhere else in the world outside of Iran. This compelling collection of photographs, essays, and interviews explores that exodus from Iran and the Iranian presence in Southern California. While capturing the remarkable diversity of this immigrant community, Irangeles also confronts the sprawling metropolis that is increasingly influenced by its large ethnic and immigrant populations. Iranians, too, are inexorably linked to the demographic changes in California--changes that raise questions of assimilation and cultural survival--and that will see minority populations become the majority in the next century. Integrating visual, textual, and oral sources, this book explicates and humanizes the Iranian experience for scholars and general readers alike. We come to know people from a broad range of occupations and income levels, political persuasions, and religious faiths. Supporters of the deposed Pahlavi regime and staunch followers of Khomeini are here, along with other Muslims, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Baha'is. We hear the voices of women--those who veil themselves in public and those who have adopted Western cultural practices--and learn how both old and new gender roles pressure Iranian women and men. Social relations among Iranian adolescents and the conflicts with their elders are also illuminated. Irangeles is a fascinating portrait of a community caught between two cultures. It offers a new perspective on Iran and its people as well as on immigrant communities in general.