Ethnicity, Identity, and the Development of Nationalism in Iran (Modern Intellectual and Political History of the Middle East)

Ethnicity, Identity, And The Development Of Nationalism In Iran Investigates The Ways In Which Armenian Minorities In Iran Encountered Iranian Nationalism And Participated In Its Development Over The Course Of The Twentieth Century. Based Primarily On Oral Interviews, Archival Documents, Personal Memoirs, Memorabilia, And Photographs, The Book Examines The Lives Of A Group Of Armenian-iranians--a Truck Driver, An Army Officer, A Parliamentary Representative, A Civil Servant, And A Scout Leader--and Explores The Personal Conflicts And Paradoxes Attendant Upon Their Layered Allegiances And Compound Identities. In Documenting Individual Experiences In Iranian Industry, Military, Government, Education, And Community Organization, The Five Social Biographies Detail The Various Roles Of Elites And Nonelites In The Development Of Iranian Nationalism And Reveal The Multiple Forces That Shape The Processes Of Identity Formation. Yaghoubian Combines These Portraits With Theories Of Nationalism And National Identity To Answer Recurring Pivotal Questions About How Nationalism Evolves, Why It Is Appealing, What Broad Forces And Daily Activities Shape And Sustain It, And The Role Of Ethnicity In Its Development. Introduction -- Nationalism, Theory, And Social Biography -- Part I. Experiences With Iranian Nationalism -- Iskandar Khan Setkhanian -- Hagob Hagobian -- Sevak Saginian -- Lucik Moradiance -- Nejde Hagobian -- Part Ii. Experience And Theory -- Learning From Theory And Social Biography -- Conclusion. David N. Yaghoubian. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Ethnicity, Identity, and the Development of Nationalism in Iran investigates the ways in which Armenian minorities in Iran encountered Iranian nationalism and participated in its development over the course of the twentieth century. Based primarily on oral interviews, archival documents, memoirs, memorabilia, and photographs, the book examines the lives of a group of Armenian Iranians—a truck driver, an army officer, a parliamentary representative, a civil servant, and a scout leader—and explores the personal conflicts and paradoxes attendant upon their layered allegiances and compound identities. In documenting individual experiences in Iranian industry, military, government, education, and community organizations, the five social biographies detail the various roles of elites and nonelites in the development of Iranian nationalism and reveal the multiple forces that shape the processes of identity formation. Yaghoubian combines these portraits with a theoretical grounding to answer recurring pivotal questions about how nationalism evolves, why it is appealing, what broad forces and daily activities shape and sustain it, and the role of ethnicity in its development. Cover 1 Title Page 5 Copyright 6 Contents 9 Illustrations 11 Preface 15 Acknowledgments 23 Introduction 25 Nationalism, Theory, and Social Biography 39 Iskandar Khan Setkhanian 85 Hagob Hagobian 127 Sevak Saginian 161 Lucik Moradiance 207 Nejde Hagobian 247 Learning from Theory and Social Biography 301 Conclusion 319 Notes 339 Bibliography 417 Index 433