Iranian Media: The Paradox of Modernity (Routledge Advances in Internationalizing Media Studies)

the Post-revolutionary State In Iran Has Tried To Amalgamate ‘sharia With Electricity’ And Modernity With What It Considers As ‘islam’. While Sympathetic To Private Capital, Through Quasi Anti-capitalist Politics, The State Began To Restrict Market-relations, Confiscate Major Assets Of Sections Of The Iranian Bourgeoisie, And Nationalize Major Aspects Of Iran’s Industry, Including Its Communications System. Since The End Of War With Iraq And The Start Of The Process Of ‘reconstruction’, Market-driven Development And Economic Policies Have Been Key Aims Of The State. Book Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Tables 8 Preface 10 Acknowledgments 12 Introduction 14 1 Religion, State, and Culture: Beyond Islamic Exceptionalism 35 2 Is There an Islamic Communication Theory? 67 3 Iranian Press: The Paradox of ‘Modernity’ 87 4 Emerging Public Spheres and the Limits of the Press 105 5 Press, State, and Civil Society: Illusions and Realities 133 6 Media Policy Under the Islamic Republic: Rights, Institutional Interests, and Control 151 7 The Politics of Broadcasting: Continuity and Change, Expansion and Control 172 8 Women’s Press and the Gendered Nature of the Public Sphere 195 Conclusion 223 Notes 236 Bibliography 244 Index 258 Humanities "The post-revolutionary state in Iran has tried to amalgamate 'Sharia with electricity' and modernity with what it considers as 'Islam'. While sympathetic to private capital, through quasi anti-capitalist politics, the state began to restrict market-relations, confiscate major assets of sections of the Iranian bourgeoisie, and nationalize major aspects of Iran's industry, including its communications system. Since the end of war with Iraq and the start of the process of 'reconstruction', market-driven development and economic policies have been key aims of the state."--Publisher's description This book provides an overview of the expansion of the Iranian communication system, examining the political economy of this process and arguing that the nature of Iranian media in general and the press in particular, cannot be understood simply in terms of "Islamic ideology" or the false dichotomy of "modernity" versus "tradition."