In this thought-provoking study, Ali Mirsepassi explores the concept of modernity, exposing the Eurocentric prejudices and hostility to non-Western culture that have characterized its development. Focusing on the Iranian experience of modernity, he charts its political and intellectual history and develops a new interpretation of Islamic Fundamentalism through the detailed analysis of the ideas of key Islamic intellectuals. The author argues that the Iranian Revolution was not a simple clash between modernity and tradition but an attempt to accommodate modernity within a sense of authentic Islamic identity, culture and historical experience. He concludes by assessing the future of secularism and democracy in the Middle East in general, and in Iran in particular. A significant contribution to the literature on modernity, social change and Islamic Studies, this book will be essential reading for scholars and students of social theory and change, Middle Eastern Studies, Cultural Studies and many related areas.

Examines modernity in the context of Islamic Fundamentalism and the Iranian Revolution.
Reviews
"...an excellent addition to the on-going debates in sociology and the Middle East." Contemporary Sociology



Book Information
ISBN 9780521659970
Author Ali Mirsepassi
Format Paperback
Page Count 244
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 415g
Dimensions(mm) 228mm * 155mm * 19mm