Professors in the Pub: The Power of the Clergy in Iran

Each month, come to Café Des Taxis to have a drink and discussion with professors and other experts about important events happening in the world. Share your questions and your views, and join the long tradition of politics in the pub.

The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries began a process of increasing power of the clergy in Iran. During that period, Iranians were in a double bind with internal despotism and external imperialism, which allowed the clergy to present themselves as the ones who were protecting the interests of the Iranian people. This was complicated in the aftermath of WWI because there were other contenders for that role. How do these historical origins impact the events we see in the news today? Is the option still just between internal despotism and external imperialism? What will the effect of the rule of the ayatollahs have on the dynamic of clergy in Iran going forward? Come discuss these questions and ask your own.

The lead professor will be Ebru Akcasu, SIRD lecturer of Middle Eastern History and Politics.