Baṣīrat-i tārīkhī: uṣūl-i shinākht-i tārīkh-i taḥavvulāt-i muʻāṣir-i Īrān

Baṣīrat-i tārīkhī: uṣūl-i shinākht-i tārīkh-i taḥavvulāt-i muʻāṣir-i Īrān, by Mūsá Najafī, is a methodological study of how contemporary Iranian history may be read, interpreted and evaluated. The author discusses historical consciousness, historiography, competing narratives, political thought and the principles needed to distinguish events from later ideological constructions. The chapters consider major currents in modern Iranian history, the relationship between intellectual history and political change, the role of concepts and sources in historical judgement, and the problems created by selective or anachronistic readings of the past. Rather than presenting a simple chronological survey, the book emphasises methods of interpretation and the formation of historical understanding. It is intended for readers interested in Iranian historiography, modern history, political ideas and debates over the interpretation of major transformations in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Iran.