Iran and the Modern Middle East: Regional and International Politics

Course goals

• Students learn to deal critically with the history of Iran in the regional and international setting;
• Students will be able to analyze and contextualize a wide range of topics, key events, and concepts related to Iranian cultural history, including political systems, constitutionalism, and feminist movements;
• Students will be able to contextualize the pivotal events of Iran in a wider history of the Middle East.

Content

This course is part of the 'verdiepingspakket' and the minor The Middle East.

The modern history of Iran has been tumultuous, full of revolts, revolutions and reversals. Key political developments in the nineteenth century included the impact of European political philosophies and Western educational systems, the Tobacco Revolt (1891), the Constitutional Revolution (1906-1911) and its aftermath, the rise of feminist movements and its effects in the revolutionary uprising in 2022. Pivotal events in the twentieth century included the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty and the modernization project, the nationalization of oil production, the CIA-staged coup that removed the democratically-chosen Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq (1882-1967), the White Revolution and urbanization, the repression of intellectuals and the 1979 Revolution, the hostage crisis, the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), and the consolidation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. These events have been followed in recent decades by reforms and most recently, the revolutionary uprising with the powerful slogan “Women, Life, and Freedom” (zan, zendegi, azadi).

The year 1979 marked the start of several weighty political developments in the Middle East, which have considerably changed the region and international relations. The rivalry between Iran and Saudi-Arabia, the Shiite-Sunnite divide, the role of Iran in Afghanistan, the ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and Hizballah in Lebanon are among topics which are going to be treated in this course. We will survey this period from the perspectives of Iranians, seeing how they view their own history and use religious tenets, poetry, art and material culture to contribute to the modernization of their country. How have they positioned Iran in the regional and international political settings? While secondary sources will be used to examine Iran’s modern history, key primary sources will be introduced in translation, to show how Iranians look at their own history in relation to their neighbours and Western powers.
 

Additional information

Please note: the time slot shown here is not yet final and may still be modified until the 3rd Wednesday in September.

This course is part of the 'verdiepingspakket' Middle East.

Early Exit option for international exchange students (5 ECTS)
 
Exchange students who are required to return to their home university before January, are allowed to choose an Early Exit option for this course. The Early Exit option means that students can finish the course before Christmas break, receiving 5 ECTS for the course. Students must make arrangements with the course coordinator at the start of the course.