This international workshop is organised by the Institute of Iranian Studies
Cluster of Excellence Eurasian Transformations
with the support of the Österreichische Forschungsgemeinschaft (ÖFG) 

On the occasion of the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Pahlavi Dynasty by Reza Shah, the conference “Iran under Reza Shah” brings together historians from a wide range of specialisations to present new research on Iran under Reza Shah Pahlavi (1925-1941) and discuss fresh approaches to studying the period. The Pahlavi period in general remains relatively understudied in the historiography of modern Iran, with many scholars adopting a teleological approach. They often take the Islamic Revolution as a starting point and work backwards, considering events only interesting in so far as they help to explain the events of 1979. The early Pahlavi period, covering Reza Shah’s reign, has received particularly little attention. Although several important studies have been published on aspects of education, infrastructure development and foreign policy under Reza Shah, still more work needs to be done to enrich our understanding of this vital period of Iran’s modern history.

The main goals of the conference are to develop a deeper understanding of the transformation of Iran in the Reza Shah period (1926-41) and to explore different and new approaches to the historiography of early Pahlavi Iran, including microhistory, biography studies and social history, and the problem of periodisation. The workshop aims to look beyond Iran itself and consider how events in Iran shaped and were shaped by global movements and processes. The workshop seeks to encourage the global historical approach to this period, analysing events in Iran in terms of regional and global intellectual and political developments and the longue durée, and considering Iranians not only inside Iran, but also those outside Iran, such as diplomats working in European capitals, or merchant Iranian communities in Egypt.

This workshop gathers many senior scholars who have produced major works on Pahlavi Iran, along with junior scholars and PhD researchers – representatives of a new generation that is undertaking important archival research. The scholarly goals of the workshop are as follows: to develop a deeper understanding of the state, society and culture of Iran in the Reza Shah period; to investigate innovative methodologies; to explore new approaches to the historiography of early Pahlavi Iran; and to consider new ways to conceptualise the period. The workshop aims to build a network of scholars who can continue to collaborate into the future on scholarly projects and research on the Pahlavi era.

Program