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The Iranian Constitutional Revolution 1906-1911
Centenary Conference
30 July - 2 August 2006 Examination Schools, University of Oxford, 75-81 High Street, Oxford OX1 4BG
On the centenary of the Constitutional Revolution this conference addresses issues such as: What kind of a revolution was it? How did it change Iran? The role of imperialism? How lasting were the institutions established by the revolution? Its global influence? How it shaped the country’s future? Etc.
Organized by
Iran Heritage Foundation, Oriental Institute of the University of Oxford and the Persian Cultural Foundation
Supported by
Hossein Afshar, Julius Baer (Middle East) Ltd., Hassan Khosrowshahi
Conference Committee
Abbas Amanat, Houchang Esfandiar Chehabi, John Gurney, Farhad Hakimzadeh, Vanessa Martin, Mohammad Tavakoli-Targhi
Convenors
Houchang Chehabi, Vanessa Martin
Management
Hossein Moghadam
Administration and Coordination
Nahid Assemi, Pegah Zohouri Haghian
Introduction
A hundred years have passed since the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1906, the first event of its kind in the Middle East. The Revolution opened the way for cataclysmic change in Iran, and heralded the modern era. The old order, which Naser al-Din Shah Qajar had struggled for so long to sustain came to an end and was replaced by new institutions, new forms of expression, and a new social and political order. The Constitutional Revolution created new opportunities and opened up seemingly boundless possibilities for Iran's future. But its impact extended beyond Iran. As one of the earliest in the decade of revolution, 1905-1915, its influence was felt from the Ottoman Empire to South East Asia.
The Constitutional Revolution was an immensely complex event, involving different parts of the country in different ways, facilitating the rise of some whilst hastening the decline of others. Because of Iran's geostrategic status as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires, the encroachments of the world economy, and the introduction of modern technology, it was not devoid of imperial manipulation or interference. In social terms, it created new opportunities for women, and influenced the evolution of minority identity. It was a period marked by unprecedented debate in a burgeoning press, which transformed the ways Iranians saw their place in the world and remembered their past.
The Revolution has been subject to a whole range of different interpretations, and it still raises a great many unanswered questions. Among these: What was the nature of the revolution? To what extent did it transform Iranian society and in which ways did Iranian society remain unaffected? What role did imperial actors play in the course of the revolution? What was the extent of the revolution's global influence? In what ways were the ideas flooding in from Europe interpreted? How lasting were the institutions established by the revolution? How did it change the identity of Iran, and, perhaps most importantly, how did it shape the country's future?
> Dr. Rahni Keynote Address
> July 30, 2006
> August 1, 2006 |
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