
Iran's Minorities
Social Diversity and State Power
Lois Beck(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Will be published approx. on 31. July 2026
Book
Hardback
400 pages
978-1-316-51345-3 (ISBN)
Description
In the wake of Iran's revolution in 1978-79, a fundamentalist Islamic theocracy took control of the country. These dramatic changes impacted all sectors of society including a vast array of diverse peoples and cultures. In this book, Lois Beck provides an anthropological and historical account of Iran's many minorities. She focuses on the aftermath of the revolution, declaration of an Islamic republic, and Iraq-Iran war. Drawing on six decades of anthropological research, Beck provides frameworks for understanding how each of Iran's linguistic, religious, ethnic, ethno-national, and tribal minorities fashioned unique identities. These identities stem from factors relating to history, location, socioeconomic patterns, and sociocultural traits. They reflect the people's interactions with Iran's rulers and governments as they changed over time. A modern nation-state cannot be fully understood without knowing the extent of its reach in the peripheries and border regions and among its diverse peoples. This landmark study challenges existing scholarly accounts by offering broad and detailed perspectives on Iran's many distinct languages, religions, ethnicities, ethno-nations, and tribes.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Laminated cover
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
534 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-316-51345-3 (9781316513453)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Lois Beck is Professor of Anthropology Emeritus at Washington University in Saint Louis. She is the author of The Qashqai of Iran (1986), Nomad: A Year in the Life of a Qashqai Tribesman in Iran (1991), and Nomads in Postrevolutionary Iran (2015). She is the coauthor of Weavings of Nomads in Iran (2020) and the co-editor of Women in the Muslim World (1978), Women in Iran from the Rise of Islam to 1800 (2003), and Women in Iran from 1800 to the Islamic Republic (2004).
Content
1. Introduction; 2. Theoretical and methodological considerations; 3. Languages; 4. Religions; 5. Ethnicities; 6. Minority nations; 7. Tribes; 8. Various perspectives on Iran's minorities; References; Index.