Iran and the Challenge of Diversity

This interrogates the racist construction of Aria and Aryanism in an Iranian context, arguing that these concepts gave the Indo-European speaking Persian ethnic group an advantage over Iran's non-Persian nationalities and communities.

"At a time when there is so much interest in Iran and such temptation to oversimplify or stereotype political developments in the region, along comes Alireza Asgharzadeh, an Iranian-raised Azerbaijani now working in Canada with a flowing, decolonizing, poetic call for a new and energizing look at language, power, race and hope. Brilliant." - Budd Hall, Senior Fellow, Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria

"This book makes an original contribution to the scholarship on race and the poetics of anti-racism by highlighting the intersections of race with language, culture, and education. The book is a bold attempt to re-theorize race and its intersections with language, class and the cultural politics of education. It adds to our knowledge on how to resist the poisonous virus of racism. It is a most welcome addition to literature on difference and power, multilingualism, and critical anti-racist education." - George J. Sefa Dei, Professor and Chair of Sociology and Equity Studies, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto

"There is no doubt in my mind that this is the most comprehensive and exhaustive study in the English language of the roots of the plight of oppressed nationalities in Iran. The book will allow academics, literary theorists and professors, politicians and journalists - as well as laymen - to acquire an in-depth knowledge of what systematic oppression can inflict upon cultures which could have flourished." - Reza Baraheni, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Toronto

"This provides a powerful unraveling of the historical, political and discursive strands of racism and nationalism woven through the complex tapestry of Iranian society. The anti-racist and anti-colonial framework of the book enables a critical engagement with the politics of nation building that has silenced and excluded marginalized and minoritized histories, languages and cultures within Iran. This book is a unique, timely and much needed examination of the social, cultural and religious politics in Iran." - Jasmine Zine, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Wilfrid Laurier University

"The book makes an original contribution as the first multidisciplinary study of Iran's multiethnic factor, and it will prove a timely resource to students and policy-makers." - Brenda Shaffer, Research Fellow, International Security Program, Harvard University

ALIREZA ASGHARZADEH is Course Director, Sociology of Education, York University, Toronto, Canada.