The Quest for Iranian Modernity: From Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi Through the Reign of Ayatollah Khomeini
Abstract:
The aim of this writing is to show the Iranian quest for modernity during the reigns of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and Ayatollah Khomeini, and how a country with a Shia Muslim majority, managed to blend western ideas and Shia Muslim fundamentals into a country that has become a global player in terms of both economic impacts, as well as diplomatic ones. Iran in its quest for modernity suffered through identity crisis leading towards a revolution, in which the finished product managed to be a unique country that kept its Iranian heritage, while also modernizing using facets of western ideology, that will be further defined in this writing. This unique combination gives an example of a predominantly Muslim, and more specifically, Shia Muslim, country that is able to coexist with, and on its own exude western ideology, without losing its own Iranian identity, in order to modernize and become a global player.