What does it mean to be modern in Iran today? Can one properly speak of modernity in relation to what many consider to be the paradigmatic Islamic state? Since its 1979 revolution seized the world's attention, the Islamic Republic of Iran has remained a subject of misunderstanding, passion, and polemic, making these questions difficult to answer--or even to ask. This book--a study of Iran's political culture in the broadest and deepest sense--looks into both of these questions by examining the tremendous changes taking place in Iran today.

Because of the difficulties posed for researchers...

This title provides an account of the role of madrasas in contemporary Muslim societies across Asia, providing a nuanced understanding of their role in society within their local, national and global context.

A country marked by controversy, Iran's social, cultural and political dynamics are too often reduced to a few misleading cliches. Islamism is widely considered to shape all social relations in Iranian society and, while Iranian society is indeed Islamic, this term's multiple meanings in everyday life and practices go far beyond the naive and monolithic idea we are used to.

The Thousand and One Borders of Iran analyses travel as a social practice, exploring how diasporas, margins and so-called peripheries are central in the construction of a national identity and...