Hobbies

This page contains my own writings, reviews, and summaries of books that span history, literature, poetry, political science, and cultural studies. Selected passages aim to highlight thought-provoking insights and invite readers to explore the works more deeply.

📘 A Review of A History of Modern Iran by Ervand Abrahamian

In this powerful book, Ervand Abrahamian traces Iran’s turbulent twentieth century—from the discovery of oil and foreign interventions to the 1979 revolution. He explores class dynamics, the rise of clerical rule, and the emergence of Iran as a regional power, all through the lens of ordinary people’s lives.

📄 Part I: Qajar Persia and the Persian Constitutional Revolution

This section challenges the myth of an all-powerful Qajar state. Instead, it shows a fragmented Iran governed by clerics, tribal leaders, and informal power structures. Abrahamian outlines the forces behind the 1906–1911 Constitutional Revolution, including secular intellectuals, Shi’i clerics, and foreign pressures.

📕 A Review of Iranian Identity by Ahmad Ashraf

This book compiles key essays by Ahmad Ashraf on the evolution of Iranian identity, from the post-Sasanian era to the rise of the Safavids. Through religion, language, and national myths, Ashraf traces how Iranian identity was redefined in response to conquest, cultural revival, and ideological shifts. It includes the essay “Iranian Identity: Medieval Islamic Period” of Encyclopaedia Iranica.