The Crowd in Iranian Politics, 1952-53
| Dates: | 11 February 2014 |
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| Times: | 17:00 - 18:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | School of Arts, Languages and Cultures |
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| Speaker: | Siavush Randjbar-Daemi |
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First Seminar in the Middle Eastern Studies Research Seminar Series, 2013-2014. The purpose of this talk is that of providing an alternative reading of the momentous events of 1952-53, which have shaped Iranian history for decades to come. Using contemporary sources, the effort will be made to assess the extent of support for the Shah and his political opponents, mainly led by the prime minister Mohammad Mossadegh and the pro-Moscow Tudeh Party, in the politically-motivated crowds that assembled at a remarkable pace in the main squares of Tehran and other major Iranian cities. The main events of July 1952, February and August 1953 will in this way be re-examined, as will the reaction of the coup against Mossadegh in the autumn of 1953.
A secondary aim of this talk is that of portraying the crowds of that period as a political actor in their own right, one which often compelled the political leadership to assume postures and positions it was not necessarily endorsing beforehand. It therefore challenges the notion of crowds as mere followers of political leaders, and argues for a more dynamic understanding of the phenomenon of street politics in that extremely important period of contemporary Iranian history.
Speaker
Siavush Randjbar-Daemi
Role: Lecturer in the Contemporary Middle East and Iran
Organisation: University of Manchester
Travel and Contact Information
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A102
Samuel Alexander Building
Manchester
