E59 - Understanding Modern Iran, Ep. 1 w/ Assal Rad and Pouya Alimagham

Danny and Derek welcome Assal Rad, research director at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), and Pouya Alimagham, historian of the Middle East at MIT, for the first episode in a series on modern Iran. The crew sets the stage for the 1953 coup against prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, discussing Iranians’ attempts to wrest sovereignty from the hands of foreign powers since the 19th century, the 1890 tobacco concession, the ousting of the Qajars, the rise of the Pahlavis, the 1941 allied occupation, Mosaddegh’s background, “Third World” nationalism, and more.

Pre-order your copy of Assal’s book, The State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran, and also pick up Pouya’s book, Contesting the Iranian Revolution: The Green Uprisings.

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