Iran After the Revolution

To what extent has the Islamic revolution fulfilled its promise to represent the dispossessed and to create a specifically Islamic way? This is an exploration of ideological and political divisions within the Islamic movement, and an attempt to explain the post-revolutionary period in terms of economic policy, education, attitudes to women and national and religious politics. Demonstrating that the utopian agenda which shaped the events of 1979 has given way to a more pragmatic approach, the text considers how Iran has confronted the social and economic demands of its people and the outside world, and has been forced to realign with the international economic order. The successes and failures of the last 15 years indicate the limits of a regime based on Islamic resurgence and reveal the constraints imposed by the economic needs of a diverse population.