1. Introduction; 2. The state of revolution; 3. The Young Turk Revolution and the global wave; 4. Constitutional struggles and struggle for the constitution; 5. Government within the government: the purges; 6. Counterrevolution; 7. Iran: reform and patrimonialism in comparative perspective; 8. The unlikely revolution: the constitutional revolution of 1906 in Iran in light of the Young Turks; 9. Concluding remarks.
This is an analysis of the constitutional revolutions in the Ottoman Empire and Iran in the early twentieth century.
Nader Sohrabi is an Associate Research Scholar at the Middle East Institute, Columbia University. He has taught Middle East History and Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Iowa, Columbia University and New York University.
'Revolution and Constitutionalism is a masterful account of
class-based grievances, revolutionary developments, shifts in
political stances, counter-revolutionary backlashes, regime changes
and their institutional legacies. Artfully reconstructing multiple
temporalities as they get intertwined in highly contentious times,
this book offers the rare combination of comprehensiveness and
precision thoroughly documented by an impressive range of primary
and contemporary sources. A remarkable achievement. Ivan Ermakoff,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
'At the beginning of the 20th century, three revolutions broke out
almost at the same time in Eastern Europe and the Middle East: the
Russian (1905), Iranian (1906), and Ottoman (1908) revolutions. All
three had the same objective: to establish a constitution in order
to end arbitrary and despotic regimes. Taking head-on the last two
revolutions, the Iranian and Ottoman, Dr. Nader Sohrabi has written
a landmark book in contemporary historiography. Based on an
intimate knowledge of Ottoman and Persian sources, this is a
carefully written book which opens new perspectives on the history
of Iran and the Ottoman Empire. The way the author uses different
scales and levels of analysis - local, regional and global - throws
a bright light on the origins and the course of these revolutionary
movements. In a very illuminating way, he shows the role of the
actors on the spot and the underlying political, economic, social,
cultural forces at stake. He draws enlightening comparisons between
the situation in Iran and in the Ottoman Empire. Sohrabi's
wonderful book brings the reader to think deeply about revolutions
in non-European contexts, and it provides essential keys for
understanding events unfolding before our eyes, unlike so many
essays written after the fact. This is a seminal work: it will be
essential for any reader who wants to understand the past as well
as the present.' François Georgeon, Centre National de la Recherche
Scientifique
'This highly analytical study aims at situating the Young Turk
Revolution of 1908, one of the momentous political developments of
the early twentieth century and a topic of importance not only for
Turkey but for all the territories in Europe, Asia, and Africa that
formed part of the Ottoman Empire at that time, in the larger
sociological context of revolutions. The study is also
revolutionary in that it ascertains the importance of two major
early twentieth-century revolutions (the 1905–06 Iranian and 1908
Young Turk revolutions) generally overlooked by major
theoreticians. With meticulous archival research, Dr. Sohrabi ably
and in great detail reinterprets important episodes of late Ottoman
history and society.' M. Sükrü Hanioglu, Princeton University
'The depth of research and the breadth of vision that have shaped
this book are truly breath-taking. Sohrabi places the Young Turk
and the Iranian revolutions in their temporal and regional context
and evaluates them from a comparative perspective. Sohrabi's
command of the Middle Eastern and Western European sources and his
theoretical sophistication combine to make this a powerful and
persuasive book. It is unlikely that anything that even comes close
to Revolution and Constitutionalism in the Ottoman Empire and Iran
will be published for a very long time. Resat Kasaba, University of
Washington
'Nader Sohrabi's Revolution and Constitutionalism in the Ottoman
Empire and Iran is a major contribution to the literature on the
history to the late Middle East … Sohrabi's book offers an
excellent framework not only for analyzing the covered region but
for comparative studies as a whole. It throws new light on the
effects of constitutionalism and the rise of the middle class in
the Middle East. It sets the bar high for future research, with its
command of archives combined with scrutiny for the
multi-disciplinary scholarship, I urge every scholar interested in
the region or the era to read this exemplary study.' Berke
Torunoğlu, International Journal of Turkish Studies
'By forcing the readers to reevaluate their assumptions about
revolutions and constitutionalism, it scrutinizes two of the most
important revolutions in a region that is once again going through
radical political transformation. Sohrabi, pointing toward the
importance of the interaction between the global zeitgeist and
local dynamics, makes a very strong case for historicizing
revolutions 'by considering the times - and the ideologies
associated with those times - as a chief organizing principle' (p.
2). Revolution and Constitutionalism is a most timely book that can
help us understand not only the historical roots of revolution in
the Middle East, but also its present-day incarnations.' Burak
Kadercan, Comparative Political Studies
'To put it bluntly and succinctly, Nader Sahrabi's book is an
impressive tour-de-force of sociological analysis and historical
contextualization … This review very much doubts that anything
better will ever be produced on this subject.' M. Sükrü Hanioglu,
Middle East Journal
'Sohrabi's rigorous and in-depth comparison of these revolutions
offers fascinating insights into the processes of political and
social change, while his highly readable historical accounts of
revolt and counterrevolution restores agency to the Middle
Easterners who pushed the limits of constitutional monarchy in the
decade that preceded the Bolshevik Revolution. Given the events in
the region, one hopes that the publisher will soon reissue this
volume in a paperback edition so this pathbreaking study will reach
the wide, multidisciplinary audience it deserves.' Ariel Salzmann,
American Journal of Sociology
'In the end, Sohrabi's work should be regarded as a major
contribution to the historiography of revolutions,
constitutionalism, late Ottoman history, and Iranian history. The
book is a must for every graduate student, scholar, historian and
social scientist interested in exploring the different dimensions
of revolutions and the consolidation of constitutional regimes.
Sohrabi's book has charted new ground and displays a level of
scholarship equal to the sophisticated studies that have been
undertaken by the likes of William H. Sewell Jr, Marshall Sahlins,
and James C. Scott in their respective fields.' Bedross Der
Matossian, Review of Politics
'What Sohrabi has undertaken is very original in three aspects.
First, he historicizes revolutions by considering contemporaneous
ideologies as the chief organizing principle. Second, he approaches
the 1908 Young Turk and 1906 Iranian revolutions not
chronologically, but as comparative cases in relation to how each
one negotiated ideologies. And third, he simultaneously engages the
insights provided by the social sciences, history, and area studies
on the one side and global, regional, and local level analyses on
the other.' Fatma Müge Göçek, American Historical Review
'This book provides a brilliant interpretation of the first two
decades of the Young Turk Revolution (1902–18) and of the
constitutional period of the Qajar Dynasty in Iran. Further,
Sohrabi embeds this comparative constitutional study in the wider
global history of constitutional movements, especially the 1905
Russian Revolution that greatly impacted the Young Turk and Iranian
movements … Summing up: highly recommended.' R. W. Olson,
CHOICE
'On the whole this book is a major contribution to the
historiography and sociological analysis of constitutional
revolutions in the Ottoman Empire and Iran and will be essential
reading for future scholarship.' Ali Gheissari, Iranian Studies
Ask a Question About this Product More... |