The Iranian Revolution Turns Thirty

This special issue of "Radical History Review" marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Iranian revolution, an event that reverberated across the globe, causing rifts and realignments in international relations, as well as radical changes in Iranian political, social, and cultural institutions. The Iranian revolution of 1979 was a historical inevitability neither in its inception nor in its outcome; however, its continued domestic and global significance - often misunderstood and misinterpreted - remains indisputable. The issue explores the complex and evolving nature of the post-revolutionary dynamics in Iran and calls for renewed reflection on the roots of the revolution, the processes leading to its proponents' victory, and its impact on the Muslim world and the global balance of power. The articles in this interdisciplinary issue take up the legacy of the revolution within and outside the borders of Iran and offer critical evaluation and new insights into the transformations that Iran experienced as a result of the revolution. One essay discusses the role of the crowd in the revolution, while another traces the genealogy of the discourse of anti-Zionism in Iranian circles.Other articles explore the treatment of the revolution in the Egyptian press and illustrate how the trauma of the revolution is portrayed in diasporic Iranian women's biographies. The issue also features a "Reflections" section, which includes eight short essays that provide snapshots of postrevolutionary politics, economics, literature, cinema, and visual arts, demonstrating both radical changes and continuities in Iranian society. Contributors include Ervand Abrahamian, Mahdi Ahouie, Niki Akhavan, Said Amir Arjomand, Mansour Bonakdarian, Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, M. R. Ghanoonparvar, Hanan Hammad, Taraneh Hemami, Persis M. Karim, Mazyar Lotfalian, Ali Mirsepassi, Minoo Moallem, Nima Naghibi, Nasrin Rahimieh, Ahmad Sadri, and Djavad Salehi-Isfahani. Kamran Talattof Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi is Associate Professor of History and Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mansour Bonakdarian is visiting Assistant Professor of History at the University of Toronto at Mississauga. Nasrin Rahimieh is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine. Ahmad Sadri is Professor of Sociology at Lake Forest College.Ervand Abrahamian is CUNY Distinguished Professor of History at Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center.