New perspectives on Iran's relationship to democracy Can Islamic societies embrace democracy? In Democracy in Modern Iran , Ali Mirsepassi maintains that it is possible, demonstrating that Islam is not inherently hostile to the idea of democracy. Rather, he provides new perspective on how such a political and social transformation could take place, arguing that the key to understanding the integration of Islam and democracy lies in concrete social institutions rather than pre-conceived ideas, the every day experiences rather than abstract theories. Mirsepassi, an Iranian native, provides a rare inside look into the country, offering a deep understanding of how Islamic countries like Iran and Iraq can and will embrace democracy. Democracy in Modern Iran challenges readers to think about Islam and democracy critically and in a far more nuanced way than is done in black-and-white dichotomies of Islam vs. Democracy, or Iran vs. the West. This essential volume contributes important insights to current discussions, creating a more complex conception of modernity in the Eastern world and, with it, Mirsepassi offers to a broad Western audience a more accurate, less clichéd vision of Iran’s political reality. " Democracy in Modern Iran reflects diligent research and insiders' insights ... it is informative and thought-provoking. Any scholar of social change, the Middle East, or of Iran will benefit from reading it." -- Brigitte U. Neary ― Critical Sociology "Mirsepassi's study is a valuable contribution which questions the legitimacy of hypothetical and textual generalisations about the relationship between secularism, religion, culture, and politics." -- Burak Ozcetin ― Political Studies Review "An extraordinary work that provides an invaluable and much-needed historical, intellectual, and cultural context for developing an understanding of Irans society and how Islam has affected political change in that nation. This is a meticulously researched analysis with an original interpretation of the evolving events in Iran; in short, a major volume to be welcomed and celebrated." ― Vartan Gregorian, author of Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith "The author convincingly argues for a view of democracy based not on & objective logic, but rather on pragmatic lines...[Mirsepassi] does deliver a variety of useful perspectives on the nature of the contemporary hostility." ― PBS’s Frontline "“This is an important book, moving beyond describing and categorizing Iranian intellectual trajectories over the modern era and towards a judicious intervention in that debate itself... One cannot but applaud the effort to instill a “practice what you preach” ethic into the Iranian intellectual zeitgeist." ― Middle East Journal " Democracy in Modern Iran , however, is much more than simply a commentary on Iranian politics. In essence, it is a work of comparative political theory that examines the relationship between culture and democracy." ― Democracy: A Journal of Ideas Ali Mirsepassi is Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Sociology at New York University and author of Intellectual Discourses and Politics of Modernization: Negotiating Modernity in Iran .