Presidential Elections in Iran
Islamic Idealism since the Revolution

By looking at all the presidential elections since the revolution, this book offers a new analysis of politics in Iran.

Mahmoud Pargoo (Author), Shahram Akbarzadeh (Author)

9781108995139, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 May 2021

224 pages
15 x 23 x 1 cm, 0.3 kg

'The book is an excellent manifestation of social science inquiry into structural and sociocultural transformation in post-revolutionary Iran. … Recommended.' A. R. Abootalebi, CHOICE

The dominant narrative of Iranian society and politics heralds the reformist movement as the epitome of Iran's transition to secularity, while conservative political forces are positioned as advocates of Islamization and a bulwark against secularization. Examining all the presidential elections since the revolution, Mahmoud Pargoo and Shahram Akbarzadeh argue that in contrast, political and cultural imagination and expectations in Iran have actually secularized regardless of the reformist/conservative divide. Exploring the evolution of campaign discourses from the 1980s elections which brought Abolhassan Banisadr, Mohammad-Ali Rajai and Ali Khamenei to power, to the more recent campaigns of Mohamad Khatami, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Rouhani, this book suggests that current debates in Iranian domestic politics are not between secularists and their opponents, but rather, between different kinds of secular forces.

Introduction
1. Theoretical Framework
2. The Age of the 'Imam'
3. The Era of Reconstruction and Reform
4. Ahmadinejad and Secularization: Rupture or Continuity?
5. Consolidation of Secularity
Conclusion
Appendix: Presidential Elections in a Nutshell.

Subject Areas: Political ideologies [JPF], Comparative politics [JPB], Political science & theory [JPA], Politics & government [JP]