Turban for the Crown: The Islamic Revolution in Iran

The Iranian revolution still baffles most Western observers. Few considered the rise of theocracy in a modernized state possible, and fewer thought it might result from a popular revolution. Said Amir Arjomand's The Turban for the Crown provides a thoughtful, painstakingly researched, and intelligible account of the turmoil in Iran which reveals the importance of this singular event for our understanding of revolutions.
Providing crucial historical background, Arjomand examines both the structure of authority in Shi'ism (one of the two main branches of Islam) and the impact of the modern state on Iranian society, two factors essential to the comprehension of the revolution of 1979. He then describes the emergence of Khomeini; the infusion of petrodollars into the economy; the blatant political corruption; and Khomeini's disposal of Bakhtiar, Bani-Sadr, and Bazargan, consolidation of religious rule, and establishment of a constitution based on a new interpretation of Islamic principles.


Author: Said Amir Arjomand
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 11/16/1989
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.90w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780195042580

About the Author

Said Amir Arjomand is Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. He is the author of the highly-acclaimed The Shadow of God and the Hidden Imam.

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