Synopses & Reviews
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 Irans political reality.
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
Review
"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."
“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.”
“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.”
“An extraordinary work that provides an invaluable and much-needed historical, intellectual, and cultural context for developing an understanding of Iran’s 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.”
Review
"Neatly packaged, intelligently written, and intensely interesting. . . .Drawing on her training and personal experiences, Wood has written a book about development of the essence of oneself, impediments to fulfillment of personal needs, and encouragement of more satisying forms of self-expression. Her insightful vignettes illustrate both the rationale and application of the strategies she suggests and explain her terapeutic mistakes. Regardless of one's theoretical alliances and level of treatment expertise, this book can be used to enhance conceptualization of psychopathology, reevalaute the emotional climate fostered in the therapeutic situation, and refine processes for encouraging patient confidence, creativity, and positive affect. Compelling from intellectual and emotional standpoints, this compact volume is highly recoommeded to a general clinical readership."-Contemporary Psychology,
Review
"Informed and practical advice on how to successfully treat adult children of alcoholics. The author, a clinician with many years of experience working with adult children of the chemically dependent, uses object relations theory and Heinz Kohut's self psychology to explore the underlying reasons for these patients' dangerously low self-esteem." -EAP Digest,
Review
“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 website,
Review
“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,
Review
"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
Review
"Democracy in Modern Iran reflects diligent research and insiders' insights. Its convoluted style notwithstanding, 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
Synopsis
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 clich d vision of Iran's political reality.
Synopsis
In this sensitive and richly rewarding book Barbara L. Wood, a clinician with many years' experience working with adult children of the chemically dependent, gives clinicians informed and practical advice on how to treat the damaged self of these individuals. She offers strategies for intervention, along with step-by-step principles that tell the therapist how best to create an environment to help patients.
About the Author
Barbara L. Wood, a counseling psychologist is cofounder of Bethesda Psychological Center, a clinic specializing in the treatment of compulsive disorders, including alcoholism and other chemical dependencies as well as problems associated with co-dependency. She is also on the adjunct faculty of the University of Maryland and lectures widely on her work.