Captive Society

Saeid Golkar is a lecturer in Middle East and North African studies at Northwestern University and a visiting fellow for Iran policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He was a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars from 2013 to 2014.

This is the first full-length study of this critical organization in the Iranian power structure. Saeid Golkar provides a comprehensive account of the Basij's organizational structure, insight into the social background of its membership, the training and indoctrination of the members, and the Basij's extensive security, watchdog, and propaganda role in Iranian society. -- Shaul Bakhash, George Mason University There is a dire need for a reliable survey of this important institution, and this book fills the vacuum. -- Ahmad Ashraf, Columbia University [An] important and timely book... Highly recommended. Choice Each page all the more chilling. BackChannels

• List of Figures and Table Preface Acknowledgments Part I. The Civil Militia and State Control 1. The Basij: Nongovernmental Organization, Administered Mass Organization, or Militia? Part II. The Basij and the Shaping of an Insiders' Network 2. The History and Transformation of the Basij, 1980-2013 3. Penetration into Society: The Organizational Structure of the Basij 4. Mass Membership and Recruitment Training 5. The Mass Indoctrination of Basij Members Part III. The Basij and the Suppression of Others 6. The Basij and Propaganda 7. The Basij and Moral Control 8. The Basij and Surveillance 9. The Basij and Political Repression Part IV. The Basij and the Controlling of Societal Sectors 10. The Basij and the Controlling of Families 11. The Basij and the Controlling of Schools 12. The Basij and the Controlling of Universities 13. The Basij and the Controlling of the Economy Part V. The Sociology of the Basij-Motivations and Loyalty 14. Basij Members-Islamic Warriors or Religious Thugs? Conclusion: The Emergence of a Captive Society Appendix: Excerpts from Official Basij Documents Notes Selected Bibliography Index