Two basic assumptions have shaped understanding of recent Iranian history. One is that Shi'ism is an integral part of Iran's religious and cultural landscape. The other is that the ulama (religious scholars) have always played a crucial role. This book challenges these assumptions and constructs a new synthesis of the history of state and religion in Iran from 1796 to the present while challenging existing theories of large-scale political transformation. Arguing that the 1979 revolution has not ended, Behrooz Moazami relates political and religious transformations in Iran to the larger instability of the Middle East region and concludes that turmoil will continue until a new regional configuration evolves.

Two basic assumptions have shaped understanding of recent Iranian history. One is that Shi'ism is an integral part of Iran's religious and cultural landscape. The other is that theulama (religious scholars) have always played a crucial role. This book challenges these assumptions and constructs a new synthesis of the history of state and religion in Iran from 1796 to the present while challenging existing theories of large-scale political transformation. Arguing that the 1979 revolution has not ended, Behrooz Moazami relates political and religious transformations in Iran to the larger instability of the Middle East region and concludes that turmoil will continue until a new regional configuration evolves.

1. Introduction: State, Religion, and Revolution in Iran, 1796 to the Present
SECTION I: FROM FRAGMENTED POLITICAL AUTHORITY TO CENTRAL BUREAUCRATIC POWER, 1796–1963
2. The Political Authority of the Qajar State, 1796–1925
3. Forming a Utilitarian Buffer State: The Pahlavis, 1921–1963
SECTION II: THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE SHI'I ULAMA, 1796–1963
4. Religious Revivalism and the Formative Phase of Orthodoxy, 1796–1892
5. The Constitutional Moment: The Ulama and the Political Sphere, 1892–1921
6. The Nationalization of Religious Morality and the Organizational Expansion of the Ulama, 1921–1963
SECTION III: THE MAKING OF THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION AND ITS AFTERMATH, 1963 TO THE PRESENT
7. The Islamization of the Social Movements and the Revolution, 1963-1979
8. The Invention of a Modern Theocracy: An Unfinished Revolution
9. Conclusion: Making Sense of the State, Religion, and Revolution