An inquiry into the experience of political modernity in Qajar Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : Short Paper

Author

Department of Political Sciences, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

The Qajar era began with significant crises, the most prominent of which were the wars with Russia and the successive defeats Iran suffered. Ostensibly, these were military defeats, but underlying them was a deeper crisis that led some Qajar state officials to recognize deficiencies in state affairs. These deficiencies indicated that the old mechanisms of governance were no longer adequate for managing the country. This was one aspect of the crisis, largely pertaining to traditional modes of governance, and if any reforms were to be enacted, they would inevitably be in this domain—such as the "Nezam-e Jadid" (New Order) reforms of Abbas Mirza in Azerbaijan, which primarily focused on traditional bureaucracy and the military. The other dimension of this crisis emerged through the "observation" of the new world by Iranian travelogue writers, which signaled the beginning of the long and varied "Iranian experience of modernity." Thus, the beginning of the protracted journey of Iranian modernity, along with its multiple and diverse experiences, stems from such observations—this paper offers reflections on the political dimensions of this experience and seeks to provide a framework for understanding it.

Keywords

Main Subjects

حوزة موضوعی: ایران

Scope: Iran

References

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Journal of Countries Studies

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 16 April 2025

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History

  • Receive Date: 13 April 2025
  • Accept Date: 14 April 2025
  • First Publish Date: 16 April 2025
  • Publish Date: 16 April 2025

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