Queer Sinister Things: The Hidden History of Iran

ISBN-13: 9780557509294 / Angielski / Miękka / 2010 / 458 str.

Tomas B. Phillips

Opis

The history of modern Iran is not the mere history of people and events. It is the history of the ideas which fostered those people and events. Six years ago Tomas B Phillips began a purely personal odyssey to enrich his understanding of Mohammed Mossadegh. It grew into an exhaustive study on the history of modern Iran from the 1905 Constitutional Revolution to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In the course of his research, he unwittingly discovered the hidden truths of Iran, the Middle East and the 20th century. These truths illuminate the past and present in ways you may never have imagined. In the manner of Plato's allegory of the cave, you have been forced to see the world through the prism fashioned by others. You now have the key to unlock the chains binding your heart and mind. You need only possess the courage to step out of the cave and into the light. You will soon realize that what you think is real is only the shadows of what others want you to see.

Phillips delivers a refreshingly honest and deeply compelling narrative of the history of modern Iran. With the feel of a great historical novel, Philips pierces through the ideological biases which have shaped our understanding of the Middle East, Cold War and the Iranian people. On every page we witness the complexity of governing a developing nation torn internally by the demands of "liberal" constitutional republicans, radical Socialists and radical Islamists and externally between the opposing powers of East and West. In Queer Sinister Things, Phillips by-passes the version of events dominant in todays academic and media circles, relying instead on the stories provided by those who documented developments in and about Iran as they happened. This living history, highly recommended for students, educators, journalists, policy makers and lovers of history everywhere, will forever change your understanding of this ancient land and its people.