Focusing on newspapers, radio and television, this book provides the first systematic investigation of the development of journalism in Iran following the 1979 Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Revolution.

This book examines Iran and its position in the contemporary world. It contains chapters on social developments in the country including gender relations, contemporary politics, international relations, relations with the US and Israel, nuclear weapons and energy programmes, oil and the development of the economy.

Iran is an ancient country, an oil-exporting economy and an Islamic Republic. It experienced two full-scale revolutions in the twentieth century, the latter of which had large and important regional and international consequences, including an eight-year war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq. And now in the twenty-first century, it confronts issues and experiences problems which have important implications for its future development and external relations.

Featuring outstanding contributions from leading sociologists, social anthropologists, political scientists and economists in the field...

With the unleashing of the "War on Terror" in the aftermath of 9/11, Afghanistan has become prominent in the news. However, we need to appreciate that no substantive understanding of contemporary history, politics and society of this country can be achieved without a thorough analysis of the Afghan encounter with cultural and literary modernity and modernization.

Modern Persian Literature in Afghanistan does just that. The book offers a balanced and interdisciplinary analysis of the rich and admirable contemporary poetry and fiction of a land long tormented by wars...

Based around the three key themes: historiography, politics and economy, art and architecture, this collection examines the latest research on Safavid Iran.

Iran has undergone considerable social upheaval since the revolution and this has been reflected in its cinema. Drawing on first-hand interviews and detailed ethnographic research, this book explores how cinema is engaged in the dynamics of social change in contemporary Iran. The author not only discusses the practices of regulation and reception of films from major award winning directors but also important mainstream filmmakers such as Hatamikia and Tabizi.

Contributing to ethnographic accounts of Iranian governance in the field of culture, the book reveals the complex...

Despite changes in sovereignty and in religious thought, certain aspects of Iranian culture and identity have persisted since antiquity. Drawing on an exploration of history, religion and literature to define Iranian cultural identity and link the Persian past with more recent cultural and political phenomena, this book examines the history of Iran from its ancient roots to the Islamic period, paying particular attention to pre-Islamic Persian religions and their influence upon later Muslim practices and precepts in Iran.

Accessible English translations of the pre-Islamic...