Iran and the Revolution

Homa Katouzian is a member of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford, and a visiting scholar at the Department of History, University of Toronto. He is the author of numerous books, including Iran: Politics, History and Literature, Iran: A Beginners’ Guide, and The Persians.

“Katouzian’s warm, rational, highly accessible study will continue to explain the phenomenon long after it has vanished.”—John Simpson, Guardian“A timely account of the country’s history . . . Through all the turmoil, Katouzian, a leading authority on modern Iran, sees a common thread in the fragility of institutions and the recurrent distance between state and society.”—Frederick Studemann, ‘Best history books of 2026 so far’, Financial TimesOne of Guardian's ‘70 books for the summer’ 2026“A sweeping account of the forces that led to the revolution of 1979 and its long aftermath. . . [Katouzian] is one of the most important interpreters of modern Iran, and his new book distils many of the themes that have animated his work over decades.”—Sanam Vakil, Financial Times“Forensic . . . Fascinating . . . Timely.”—JP O’Malley, Irish Independent“This book offers a helpful political insight into the events of the Shah’s departure in 1979, avoiding the easy clichés of US diplomatic failure, and Carter’s unworldliness.”—Justin Doherty, Aspects of History“Katouzian provides a superb, fascinating and essential analysis of Iranian power and society.”—Simon Sebag Montefiore, New Statesman“Brimming with insight and clarity, Iran and the Revolution distils six decades of Homa Katouzian’s scholarship into a compelling portrait of revolution, protest, and reform in modern Iran.”—Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi, author of Revolution and Its Discontents“An incisive and well-documented overview of Iran’s turbulent history from the outbreak of the Second World War, through the 1979 revolution, the rise of the Islamist theocracy, to the present—a must-read by a leading scholar of Iranian social and economic history, culture, and politics.”—Ali Banuazizi, Research Professor of Political Science, Boston College“Homa Katouzian’s unwavering dedication to the study of Iran spoils us with an engaging and accessible book that brings his theory of state–society dynamics to life through an incisive account of the making of the Iranian Revolution and its afterlife, extending to the present day.”—Elvire Corboz, author of Guardians of Shi’ism“Drawing on a remarkably rich source base—from state archives to popular jokes—and avoiding the Westernised clichés of ‘paradise lost,’ ‘fundamentalism,’ and anti-modern atavism, Katouzian offers a deep history that situates 1979 within a much longer arc of state-society relations. A must-read for all students of Iran.”—Reza Zia-Ebrahimi, author of The Emergence of Iranian Nationalism