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Courses / Modules / HIST1145 From Shah to Ayatollah: The Establishment of the Clerical Power in Iran (1979 to Today)

From Shah to Ayatollah: The Establishment of the Clerical Power in Iran (1979 to Today)

When you'll study it
Semester 2
CATS points
15
ECTS points
7.5
Level
Level 4
Module lead
Hormoz Ebrahimnejad
Academic year
2025-26

Module overview

The 1979 Revolution unexpectedly established a clerical regime in Iran for the first time in its history. What were the roots and consequences of this Revolution? This module surveys this history from an anti-Shah movement initiated by university students culminating in the 1979 Revolution, to the Islamic Revolution. The 1979 and Islamic Revolutions are often discussed as one and the same in the current historiography. In this module you will test the validity of this historical narrative. You will also reflect on the rise and consolidation of the clerics’ power: did this originate in the nineteenth century when the clerics became increasingly involved in politics or is the clerical regime better understood as a result of modernising forces in the twentieth century? In doing so, you will get to grips with some of the major concepts in Islam, including the formation of Islam, the relationship between religion and politics, differences between Shi’a and Sunnites, and the concepts of spiritual and political authority.