Religion, culture and politics in Iran : from the Qajars to Khomeini / Joanna de Groot.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 259 - 296) and index.

Introduction: making stories about Iran -- The 'religious' and the 'social' -- The 'religious' and the 'political' -- Concluding some stories (and starting others).

A new and original interpretation of the social history of religion in Iran from the 1870s to the 1970s. Drawing together religion and other social and cultural issues, it places the revolutionary upheavals of 1977-82 in the context of historical developments over the preceding century. De Groot argues that Iran's revolution was not the inevitable outcome of the nature of the Iranian state or of religion in Iran but was much more complex and resulted from a wider range of factors than is traditionally believed. She focuses on the human responses of Iranians to their experiences and on the rich variety and complexity of the relationship between religion and other aspects of society, thought and culture in their daily life. Stimulating and engaging, Religion, Culture and Politics in Iran makes an important contribution to the study of Iranian society.