Transnationalism in Iranian Political Thought: The Life and Times of Ahmad Fardid

by Ali Mirsepassi

Overview

During the Iranian Revolution of 1978/9, the influence of public intellectuals was widespread. Many espoused a vision of Iran freed from the influences of 'Westtoxification', inspired by Heideggerian concepts of anti-Western nativism. By following the intellectual journey of the Iranian philosopher Ahmad Fardid, Ali Mirsepassi offers in this book an account of the rise of political Islam in modern Iran. Through his controversial persona and numerous public and private appearances before, during and particularly after the Revolution, Fardid popularised an Islamist vision militantly hostile to the modern world that remains a fundamental part of the political philosophy of the Islamic Republic to this day. By also bringing elements of Fardid's post-revolutionary thought, as well as a critical analysis of Foucault's writings on 'the politics of spirituality', Mirsepassi offers an essential read for all those studying the evolution of political thought and philosophy in modern Iran and beyond.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781107187290
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/23/2017
Series:	The Global Middle East , #1
Pages:	408
Product dimensions:	6.26(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.91(d)

About the Author

Ali Mirsepassi is Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University, where he is also the Director of Iranian Studies Initiative. He is the co-author, with Tadd Fernee, of Islam, Democracy and Cosmopolitanism: At Home and in the World (Cambridge, 2014), and the author of Political Islam, Iran and Enlightenment: Philosophies of Hope and Despair (Cambridge, 2011), Democracy in Modern Iran (2010) and Intellectual Discourses and the Politics of Modernization: Negotiating Modernity in Iran (2000).

Table of Contents

Part I. Introduction: Introduction. Islam after fall: why Fardid matters; 1. The historical context: the intellectual's modern calling; 2. 'Home' and the 'world': 'the swallows return to their nest'; Part II. The World of Young Fardid: 3. Young Fardid (1935–46); 4. Henry Corbin's 'imaginative spirituality' and Iranian 'Gharbzadegi' (Westoxication); Part III. Orientatlism and 'Spiritual Islam': Fardid, Corbin, Foucault: 5. Gharbzadegi (Westoxication); 6. The politics of spirituality: Foucault, the Iranian Revolution; Part IV. Ahmad Fardid's Philosophy after the Revolution, 1978–81: 7. The divine encounter and apocalyptic revelations; 8. A reckless mind: policies of Gharbzadegi; Part V. Fardid Remembered: 9. Interviews with Fardid's friends and critics; Conclusion. Fardid after Fardid.

Editorial Reviews

'This book is a fascinating account of one of the most enigmatic intellectuals of modern Iran, the father of the idea of Westoxication. It offers an analytical frame whose implications go beyond Iran, disclosing how such anti-modern thinking is linked to the ideas of European luminaries such as Heidegger, Corbin, and Foucault. A meticulous example of scholarship.' Asef Bayat, Catherine and Bruce Bastian Professor of Global and Transnational Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

'Ali Mirsepassi’s book recounts the fascinating story of a momentous cross-cultural encounter between Western thought and Islam. At the center of his account lies the reception of the German philosopher Martin Heidegger’s thought by the influential Iranian Islamist, Ahmad Fardid. Not only has Mirsepassi provided us with an outstanding study of the transnational circulation of ideas. His book also stands as a powerful cautionary tale concerning the ideological perils of virulent ‘anti-modernism’ - a tale that has the potential to revolutionize many of the unstated assumptions underlying the field of postcolonial studies.' Richard Wolin, Distinguished Professor of History and Political Science, CIty University of New York Graduate Center

'… Mirsepassi’s Transnationalism in Iranian Political Thought is an informative and insightful reading for anyone who wants to understand the complex mindset of Fardid and the network of ideas that orchestrated the course of the twentieth-century intellectual history of Iran.' Mustafa Aslan, Kult Online

From the Publisher