Patriotism, Religion and Power in the Literatures of Iran

Préface
By examining literary sources this book interprets Iranian political and social relations across various historical epochs

Auteur
Minoo Derayeh is Associate Professor at York University, Canada. She is the author Gender Equality in Iranian History: from Pre-Islamic Times to the Present (2006). Her research interests include gender and religion, modernity and tradition and religion and social justice.

Résumé
Through the interpretation of literary sources, this book examines the ways religions and patriotism have often converged to bring about cultural, religious and social and political change in Iran. The author examines Iranian political and social relations via two core themes throughout its history; the relationship between the ruler and the ruled and the role of justice and injustice. The book explores the stories of Kings, Gods, religions, cultures, political systems and sacred aspects of these in Iranian mythology. Minoo Derayeh analyses a multiplicity of literary works from the poetry of Ferdowsi, Parvaz and Hafez, to the sacred Zoroastrian Avestas to the memoirs of Mohammad Mosaddeq, Aytaollah Abulqasem and Hossein Makki and the works of modern female Iranian writers to provide a new perspective on what she argues is a recurrent theme in Iranian political and cultural history.

Contenu
Introduction 1. The Saviour and the Saved: Gods, Kings, Religions and States 2. Gods, Kings, Religions and People in Pre-Islamic Iran 3. Iran under Islam 4. Persian Literature 1220-1926: In Search of a Saviour 5. Iran under the Qajar: Movement and Revolution 6. From Dictatorship to Revival of Freedom 1926-1951: Grappling with Tradition and Modernity 7. From the Nationalization of the Oil Industry: A New Saviour 8. Dictatorship, Revolution and Theocracy From National Identity to Islamic Identity Conclusion