Description: Goes beyond the media stereotype of fashionable parties in North Tehran to examine the quotidian realities of how society has evolved in Iran since the 1979 revolution.
Review Quotes: "This scholarly research work is pertinent for the understanding of the socio-economic and political transformation in post-revolutionary Iran and development of unexpected liberal and secular trends among its population."--Muslim World Book Review
"Hundreds of books and articles have been published about post-revolutionary Iran in the West, many of which offer only a crude caricature of the Islamic Republic. This erudite volume provides a important corrective to the superficial portrayal of Iran's society, culture and politics. The contributors have deep knowledge and understanding of a huge breadth of issues concerning the country, informed by years of scholarly research. A must-read." -- Nader Entessar, co-author of Iran Nuclear Negotiations: Accord and Détente since the Geneva Agreement of 2013"Inside the Islamic Republic is an excellent collection of articles about the profound changes that have taken place inside Iran during the past three decades. Written by some of the leading experts on modern Iran, the book addresses such important issues as the struggle for democracy, women's rights, and the role cinema, music, and poetry plays in Iranian society. Anyone interested in understanding Iran as it is, and not as it is portrayed in the mass media, must read this seminal book." -- Mohsen M. Milani, Executive Director, USF World Center for Strategic & Diplomatic Studies (CSDS), University of South Florida"As the Islamic Revolution of Iran approaches its fortieth anniversary, a popular conception of this country persists: that of a static society under the control of hardline anti-Western clerics. This volume provides an alternative reading of Iran by focusing on the dynamics of social change. Focusing on a panoply of socioeconomic, cultural, institutional, demographic and international factors, this group of distinguished Iranian studies scholars, demonstrate the evolution and transformation of changing identities, norms and values that often challenge the authoritarian model of Iran's revolutionary founders. The future of Iran is very much connected to these developments making this volume essential reading for any serious student of this topic." -- Nader Hashemi, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies, University of Denver