The State and the Subaltern: Modernization, Society and the State in Turkey and Iran

by Touraj Atabaki

In the 1920s Turkey and Iran faced political upheaval as both states attempted to find their routes to modernity. This is the first study to observe the practice of modernization in Turkey and Iran not only from above, by examining the measures adopted by the political regimes of the late Ottomans, Ataturk and Reza Shah, but also from below, exploring how different social levels contributed to the drive for modernity. It is a full and thorough analysis of how these societies reacted to reform and change. "The State and the Subaltern" offers a fresh perspective on the accommodation and resistance to modernization and the relation between the common people and the state in two Islamic societies during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is a fascinating exploration of the history of subalterns - the rank and file of society - with specific reference to gender, ethnicity, industrial and non-industrial urban labour, rural labour, unemployment and the impact of immigrant labour.

Genres: History, Iran

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 1998

About the author

Touraj Atabaki is a professor of the "Social History of the Middle East and Central Asia" at the Department of History of the University of Amsterdam and a senior research fellow at the International Institute of Social History. Dr Atabaki is also the President of the European Society for Central Asian Studies (ESCAS), a member of the Conference of the Presidents of the European Associations for Asia Studies, a member of the Council of the Society for Iranian Studies, the visiting senior research fellow of the Middle East Centre (St. Antony's College, University of Oxford), and the visiting professor at the Academy of Sciences of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Moscow. He is also a member of several editorial boards, including the Journal of Azerbaijani Studies, International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) Newsletter, the Central Asian Survey, and The Review of International Affairs board.[1] He is also an expert on Iranian Azeris.[2] He is member of the board of the International Qajar Studies Association and Director of the Qajar Studies and Documentation Centre. In 2012 Atabaki joined the Board of Advisors of the International Museum for Family History.

Reviews

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

آقای دکتر تورج اتابکی مولف کتابی هستند با عنوان دولت و فرودستان: فراز فرود تجدد آمرانه در ترکیه و ایران که نویسنده دو مقاله از مجموعه مقالات کتاب هم خودشان هستند. این کتاب سالها پیش با ترجمۀ آقای دکتر آرش عزیزی، توسط نشر ققنوس منتشر شده است. بعدتر که آقای یوسف صفاری مجموعه مقالاتی از آقای دکتر اتابکی را به فارسی ترجمه و این کتاب را با عنوان تاریخ فرودستان: جستارهایی در تاریخ اجتماعی کارگری و ملی ایران، توسط نشر چشمه منتشر کردند، گویا چون به صورت انگلیسی به صورت کتاب جداگانه‌ای منتشر نشده بوده و عنوان انگلیسی نداشته، ناشر در شناسنامۀ کتاب عنوان انگلسی کتاب، یعنی دولت و فرودستان: فراز فرود تجدد آمرانه در ترکیه و ایران را آورده است، درحالی‌که هیچ ارتباطی با هم ندارند.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una muy buena colección de artículos escritos por muy buenos autores que abordan desde distintos temas y perspectivas el efecto de la creación de dos estados centralizados - Irán y Turquía - sobre distintos grupos sociales, tratando ampliamente cuestiones como la identidad o el papel de la religión. Es muy recomendable para personas con conocimientos previos de la historia reciente de ambos países y que buscar aprender un poco más sobre dichas cuestiones.