Revised and extended article: The Last Muslim Intellectual, The Life and Legacy of Jalal Al-e Ahmad: Political economy Approach

Author

St Antony’s College; Member, the Faulty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Abstract

Jalal Al-e Ahmad was a leading Iranian writer and critic, best known for his long essay, Gharbzadegi or Weststruckness, which many critics controversially regard as a harbinger of the Islamic revolution. There is no doubt that, willy-nilly, what was believed to be his rejection of Western civilization was posthumously very influential in shaping public opinion.  Dabashi’s largely uncritical biography is useful in its description of Al-e Ahmad’s life but is flawed in its interpretation and analysis of his works. In particular, it ignores Al-e Ahmad’s extensive resort to conspiratorial theories and his cavalier treatment of not just Iranian but world history to prove his case. This article could be accounted as a new analysis of the political economy of Ale-e Ahmad as well.

Keywords


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Volume 5, Issue 2
2024
Pages 273-288
  • Receive Date: 07 November 2024
  • Accept Date: 07 November 2024
  • First Publish Date: 07 November 2024
  • Publish Date: 01 October 2024