Historical Veneration of Thinking in Iran under Qajar Dynasty

Reza Nassiri Hamed
Translated and summarized by: Abbas Hajihashemi

2015-9-13

The way any nation understands its history and appreciates its values, depends on how it regards its identity and revers its traditional practices. However a unique feature for any nation, identity is dynamic and can change by the passage of time.

The book, "Historical Veneration of Thinking in Iran under Qajar Dynasty", is a new research title penned by Hussein Abadian, a contemporary history researcher. It must be viewed as a sequel to the author's previous studies, which as he has promised in his book, will be continued afterwards.

According to the author, the book is primarily aimed at locating the headwaters of the political trends that were in practice in Iran during the Qajar dynasty while investigating shortcomings of the historical accounts about the era which are available now.

Organized in seven main chapters, the book draws on historical analyses of topics like the necessity of contemporary historiography, religious structures in the Iranian society under the Qajar dynasty, confrontation of religion and social norms in Iran's legal system during the Qajar era, a review of the religious rhetoric in the Tobacco movement, and pursuing national identity.

The book bases its arguments on the precept that any nation's understanding of its history is dependent on their impression of their identity.

To support his theories, the author also brings examples from case studies which shed light on the role the religious community played in the country's political arenas.

The book allocated a sizable portion of its length to the Tobacco movement, its origin, aftermaths and success.