Frontier Fictions (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "LONG BEFORE the French Revolution an anonymous geographer of the tenth century had already imagined the "boundaries of the world" (hudud al-'alam) as comprising distinct..." (more)
Key Phrases: frontier polemics, minor despotism, frontier disturbances, Riza Khan, Qa'im Maqam, Persian Gulf (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Thoroughly researched, eloquently written, and objectively presented, Frontier Fictions is a valuable addition to contemporary Iranian historiography. -- Review

Thoroughly researched, eloquently written, and objectively presented, Frontier Fictions is a valuable addition to contemporary Iranian historiography. -- Choice

Review

Thoroughly researched, eloquently written, and objectively presented, Frontier Fictions is a valuable addition to contemporary Iranian historiography.
(Choice )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (January 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691004978
• ISBN-13: 978-0691004976
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,264,820 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original approach to Middle East history, March 31, 2001

By	"petersisma" (London, England) - See all my reviews

I found this book to be a refreshing study of Middle Eastern nationalism. It went well beyond the traditional focus on religion and politics that seems to be the staple of other works on nationalism. It includes a wealth of information that many interested in Iran and the Middle East can profit from. It offers theoretical discussions of nationalism as well as specific historical points that distinguish the Iranian case from others. I found the writing engaging, the research broad and original, and the arguments are new. I would recommend it to those interested in modern Iran or nationalism in the Middle East

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Iranian Patriots, December 21, 2001

By	Matherson (New York) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Dr. Kashani-Sabet's revealing survey of Iranian nationalism has much to teach us about the long and often tragic history of this great land. During its nineteenth-century existence, while their country was sandwiched between the two Great Game powers, Russia and Britain, its thinkers strove for a definition of "Iranian" nationalism. Central to their rhetoric was the idea of land - sacred, inalienable earth - a leitmotif which has permeated Iranian thinking ever since. (In fact, in 1978 the Shah is reputed to have fled Tehran with a box of soil under his passenger seat). This great work has a number of beautiful illustrations from fin-de-siecle nationalistic pamphlets. On a more prosaic level, it also explains, for the sake of Westerners, the difference between Persia and Iran (roughly comparable to the difference between England and Britain). While the cut-off date of 1946 avoids detailed treatment of the post-1979 regime or the disastrous Great War, the comparison between the progressive earlier reformers' visions of the nation's potential, and the later reality, is poignant.

5.0 out of 5 stars Significance of frontiers, January 22, 2004

By A Customer

This is the best available work on nationalism in Iran ... the research unprecedented and the analysis fresh. I recommend it to readers interested in learning something new about Iran. The significance of frontiers in Iranian history and political life is a subject that other scholars have unfortunately ignored. It is a welcome addition.