DWA 242 Revolutionary Iran in Historical Perspective
Iran has experienced crisis, revolt, and revolution more than any other country in the region. The level of revolutionary zeal, ideological debates, and mass participation has elicited unprecedented attention by media experts and academics's endeavoring to resolve what is termed as the "Persian Puzzle" or "Iranian Paradox". In view of the remarkable infrequency of revolutions, Nikki Keddie - the eminent scholar of modern Iran - has devoted years of research in striving to answer the question: "why has Iran been revolutionary?" She reiterates that Iran has seen more modern revolutions than any country in the Muslim world and more than most countries anywhere. Consequently, the course on "Revolutionary Iran" addresses the following question: is there anything peculiar or particular about Iran that could explain the rise of modern revolutionary movement? The course critically examines the theoretical and historical perspectives that have been proposed to answer this question.