Roots of the Islamic Revolution in Iran: Four Lectures
by Hamid AlgarBook Description
In the summer of 1979, at a time when the viability of the Islamic Republic of Iran was being widely questioned in the Western media and the historical background of the revolution that had led to its establishment was largely unknown; Hamid Algar delivered four lectures on the Islamic Revolution at the Muslim Institute in London. In clear and concise fashion, he examined the historical links betweenIran and Shi’a Islam; the life and personality of Imam Khomeini, leader of the Islamic Revolution; the career and ideas of Ali Shari’ati, "religious intellectual". Now reissued in substantially revised form, the text of these lectures remains a useful introduction to the revolution, arguably the most important event in modern Muslim history. New translations made by the author from the writings of Imam Khomeini and Ali Shari’ati enhance the utility of the work.
About the Author
Hamid Algar has been teaching topics on Islam andIran at theUniversity ofCalifornia,Berkeley, since 1965
Small Media, Big Revolution: Communication, Culture, and the Iranian Revolution
by Annabelle SrebernyFrom Library Journal
Professors of communications inEngland, the authors (Questioning the Media, Sage Pub., 1990) argue that the Iranian Revolution presented a newThird World revolutionary model that was populist, urban, and based on small media. They propose that the leaflets and audiocassettes were essential because they provided a political public space not available elsewhere under the repressive regime. Though focusing primarily on small media-defined as public and participatory, controlled neither by the state nor by a large corporation-the authors also discuss the influence of TV, newspaper's, rumor, etc. By examining the uses of all media, they show how the society's fear of cultural and economic dependency was evident on both sides of the conflict, though in crucially different modes. They do not miss the ironic role played by Western technology in an adamantly anti-West and antimodernization revolution. Somewhat scholarly, this thorough examination of communications in a time of conflict by a couple who lived through it is recommended for academic collections.
