Who Is Knowledgeable Is Strong: Science, Class, and the Formation of Modern Iranian Society, 1900-1950

353 Pages·2009·3.587 MB·English

by  Cyrus Schayegh

THE FLET CHER J ONES F OUNDATION
HUMANITIES IMP RINT
The Fletcher Jones Foundation has endowed this imprint to foster
innovative and enduring scholarship in the humanities.
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous
contribution to this book provided by the
Fletcher Jones Foundation Humanities Endowment Fund
of the University of California Press Foundation.
Who Is Knowledgeable Is Strong
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Who Is Knowledgeable
Is Strong
Science, Class, and the Formation of
Modern Iranian Society, 1900–1950
Cyrus Schayegh

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished
university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the
world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences,
and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press
Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals
and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2009 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schayegh, Cyrus.
Who is knowledgeable is strong : science, class, and the
formation of modern Iranian society, 1900–1950 / Cyrus
Schayegh.
p . c m.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-520-25447-3 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Iran—Intellectual life—20th century. 2. Iran—Social
conditions—20th century. 3. Science and civilization. I. Title.
DS266.S375 2009
955.05—dc22 2008025294
Manufactured in the United States of America
18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on Natures Book, which contains 50%
post-consumer waste and meets the minimum requirements of
ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
To my parents, Christine and Masud Schayegh,
and to Naghmeh
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
  ix
Introduction / 1

–
1. The Historical Background / 13
2. The Cultural and Discursive Dimensions / 32
3. The Economic Dimensions / 53

–
4. The Dangers of Modernity: Neurology, Psychiatry, and the
Effects of Modern Technology and a Modern Economy / 75
5. Biopower: Hygiene, Eugenics, Genetics,
and Iran’s Double Demographic Problem / 110
6. The Self-Reliant Personality: Psychology, Pedagogy,
and the Problem of Willpower / 157
Conclusion / 194

‘–  199
  213

  295
  321