Description: "Taking an innovative approach to the study of Iranian nationalism, Merhavy examines the way symbols from Iran's past have played an important role in the struggles between political, religious, and ideological movements over legitimacy in the last five decades. Using a rich variety of primary sources, he traces the process by which these symbols have been appropriated, rejected, and reinterpreted by the Pahlavi state, the Islamic opposition, and finally, the Islamic Republic. In doing so, this volume contributes to our understanding of cultural symbols that survive political upheavals, dramatic and significant as they may be"--
Review Quotes: This book represents a rich mixture of textual, archival, and interpretative approaches to the topic.-- "Ali Mozaffari, author of Forming National Identity in Iran"