He later moved to New York City,[12] where he studied at Columbia University and received his first MA in 1966.[7] He received a second MA from Oxford in 1968. Abrahamian earned a PhD from Columbia in 1969.[7][10] His thesis was titled "Social Bases of Iranian Politics: The Tudeh Party, 1941-53."[7] He has stated that his "understanding of Iran [was] ... most shaped [by] the oil crisis of 1951-53 culminating in the coup."[2]
In a preface to his 1989 book Radical Islam, Abrahamian describes himself as "a sceptic by intellectual training; a democratic socialist by political preference; and, as far as religious conviction is concerned, an agnostic on most days — on other days, an atheist."[9][26] In 1983 he told The New York Times that he has an "independent Marxist point of view."[27] Christoph Marcinkowski wrote that Abrahamian's publications "feature more or less the left-wing political perspective of their author – especially in terms of socio-political and socio-economic analysis."[28] He has been influenced by Marxist historiansChristopher Hill, Eric Hobsbawm, E. P. Thompson and others.[1] He has called Thompson a "towering figure for a number of reasons — not just for historians of Iran, but also for Marxist historians throughout the world."[1] He is generally sympathetic towards the Tudeh Party.[29] Werner has described Abrahamian as a "vivid chronicler of the history of the Iranian Left, defying any attempt to view twentieth-century Iran exclusively through an Islamicate lens."[30]
In 2007, Abrahamian called the theory of the US government being behind the September 11 attacks "absurd." He compared it to claims of Iran supporting anti-US Sunni insurgents in Iraq, calling the latter "just not possible."[25] Abrahamian opined that if the US conducts airstrikes on Iran and triggers a war, it would last 30 to 100 years.[25]
In 1986, he objected that The New York Times obituary of Loy W. Henderson did not mention his role in the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, which he described as "probably his most important contribution." He wrote to the Times: "Few ambassadors have so decisively changed the course of a country's history. What is more, he set a State Department precedent by permitting secret agents to use the embassy compound to carry out the coup. Your oversight would have amused George Orwell; it certainly would not have surprised him."[31]
In 2006, he described Iran as a "third world power."[32] In 2017 he noted that the "gradual but consistent shift to the right in recent years naturally erodes this welfare state and thereby undermines the social basis of the regime."[1] He has described the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) as a group that "played an important role in modern Iran".[33]
Abrahamian has said that "heroes are to be avoided."[12] He has described Donald Trump as "at heart a con man spouting out verbiage to sell a particular product."[1] He called the first Trump presidency a "nightmare."[12]
Publications
Abrahamian has authored or coauthored the following books:
Abrahamian, Ervand (2008). A History of Modern Iran. Cambridge University Press. ISBN978-0521821391.
Abrahamian, Ervand (2013). The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations. New York, New York: The New Press. ISBN9781595588265.
Abrahamian, Ervand (2022). Oil Crisis in Iran: From Nationalism to Coup d' Etat. New York, New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN9781108837491.
Initial reviews were largely positive.[36][37][38] Criticisms included disproportional focus on the Communist movement[39] and the Tudeh Party,[40] and reliance on British archives.[39] Sepehr Zabih wrote that it is constrained by the ideological bias of neo-Marxist approach of E. P. Thompson.[39]M. E. Yapp wrote: "with all its imperfections, Abrahamian's book is the most interesting and exciting book on the recent history of Iran which has appeared for many years."[40] Zabih was more reserved: "this work is a significant addition to the literature on some aspects of the Iranian communist movement. The author is well versed in the selected periods of recent Iranian history. No one with sustained interest in Iranian politics, especially those of the left, could afford to ignore this volume."[39] Gene R. Garthwaite wrote that the book made three significant contributions: "its class analysis will force all of us-Marxist and non-Marxist alike-to re-examine our ideas about Iran's twentieth-century history and will provide the basis for discussion for some time to come; it gives the best account of the development of the Tudeh party and its social, intellectual, and political bases; and it presents the most detailed account of the Pahlavi period (ca. 1921-78) and its political history."[41] Mazzaoui described it as "the best and most balanced account of the social and political developments in contemporary Persian history."[35]
Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin
In Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin (1989) Abrahamian investigated the origins and history of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK). The book sets out to answer several questions about the group, particularly concerning "the links between its ideology and its social bases."[42][43] It was well received by reviewers.[44][45]Eric Hooglund called it a "very important book" that provides "detailed, objective, and erudite analysis" of the MEK. He also argued that its most important contribution is the exposition of the party's ideology.[46] Mazzaoui wrote: "There is very little to criticize in this masterfully written piece of current research. Dr. Abrahamian writes sympathetically and at times dramatically-but always as an accomplished scholar."[35]
Khomeinism
Abrahamian's 1993 book on Iran's first Supreme Leader, Ruhollah Khomeini and his ideology, is entitled Khomeinism. The book consisted of five essays. He argued that Khomeinism is "best understood as a populist movement, not a religious resurgence."[47] He described Khomeini's movement as a form of Third Worldpopulism.[48][1][49]Fred Halliday called it a "superb study of political ideology in general and of the ideological evolution of the founder of the Islamic Republic in particular."[50] Baktiari had a mixed review. He noted that it is well written, but "far from well documented." However, he called it a "stimulating book that deserves wide readership."[47]Fakhreddin Azimi described it as a "lucid and provocative book."[48]
Tortured Confessions
Abrahamian's 1999 book Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran covers political repressions against opposition movements both before and after the Islamic Revolution, ending with the mass executions of 1988. It reviews interrogation tactics and prison facilities used in 20th century Iran. It was well received by critics.[51][52][30] Mahdi praised it as a significant and timely book.[29]
A History of Modern Iran
A History of Modern Iran, published in 2008, was widely praised. The book narrates state building of modern Iran.[53]John Limbert called it a "scholarly, readable, and engaging study of the last century of Iranian history."[54]Philip S. Khoury described it as "the most intelligent and perceptive history of modern Iran available in the English language."[55]
The Coup
Abrahamian's 2013 book The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations was met with mixed to favorable reviews.[56]David S. Painter opined that "Despite some problems, The Coup is a valuable corrective to previous work and an important contribution to Iranian history."[57]Mark Gasiorowski was more critical. He argued that the book does not provide any "major new revelations or insights and is misleading in several ways."[58]
Recognition
Abrahamian is widely recognized as a leading historian of modern Iran,[59][60][61][62][63] and, by some, as the "preeminent historian of modern Iran."[64][65][66] He has also been described as "one of the preeminent Iranian historians of his generation."[1] Mansour Farhang noted that his books are "indispensable source of information, insight and analysis for scholars and general readers as well."[67] In 1995 Fred Halliday opined in Iranian Studies that Ervand Abrahamian "has already established himself as one of the finest writers on twentieth-century Iran."[50]Eric Hooglund wrote in 2000 that Abrahamian's books have "established his reputation as the leading scholar of Iran's twentieth-century social history."[68]Reza Afshari wrote in 2002 that since the publication of the seminal Iran Between Two Revolutions (1982), Abrahamian has "become one of the most influential historians of modern Iran."[69]
^Ricks, Thomas M. (Spring 1983). "Reviewed Work: Iran between Two Revolutions by Ervand Abrahamian". Middle East Journal. 37 (2): 268–270. JSTOR4326573. For the Iranian specialist well-acquainted with Professor Abrahamian's past and present published materials, the decision to follow the lead of E. P. Thompson's neo-Marxist approach throughout the book comes as no surprise.
^McLachlan, Keith (Spring 1983). "Reviewed Works: Iran Since the Revolution. by Sepehr Zabih; Iran between Two Revolutions. by Ervand Abrahamian". International Affairs. 59 (2): 305–306. doi:10.2307/2620007. JSTOR2620007. Professor Abrahamian proposes that a neo-Marxist approach to contemporary Iranian history is the only one compatible with persuasive socio-political analysis.
^ abAbrahamian, Ervand (1989). "Acknowledgements". Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin. London: I.B. Tauris. p. ix. I am an Armenian-Iranian by birth; a sceptic by intellectual training; a democratic socialist by political preference; and, as far as religious conviction is concerned, an agnostic on most days — on other days, an atheist. April 1988.
^"Lunch with Ambassador Wisner (Tu 56-57)". rugbyschool.co.uk. Rugby School. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022. New York Rugbeians [...] Historian and City University of New York Professor Ervand Abrahamian (M 54-59) ...
^Also cited in Dabashi, Hamid (2006). "Preface". Theology of Discontent: The Ideological Foundatation of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Transaction Publishers. p. xlviii.
^ abWerner, Christoph (November 2000). "Reviewed Work: Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran by Ervand Abrahamian". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 27 (2): 239–240. JSTOR826111. Despite the above criticism in certain points, it is highly applaudable that such a book is now in our hands and that it came out at this particular time. [..] It enriches our knowledge on modern Iran with a new and disquieting perspective.
^Abrahamian, Ervand (April 11, 1986). "Credit Where Due". The New York Times.
^Abrahamian, Ervand (1989). "Acknowledgements". Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin. London: I.B. Tauris. p. ix. Although the Mojahedin has played an important role in modern Iran, little has been written on its history.
^Campbell, John C. (Fall 1982). "Reviewed Work: Iran: Between Two Revolutions by Ervand Abrahamian". Foreign Affairs. 61 (1): 236. JSTOR20041415. In many ways it is an impressive achievement, drawing on previously untapped Iranian sources and material from the British and American archives.
^Ferdows, Adele K. (July 1983). "Reviewed Work: Iran Between Two Revolutions by Ervand Abrahamian". Middle East Studies Association Bulletin. 17 (1): 42–43. doi:10.1017/S0026318400012578. JSTOR23057451. S2CID164930460. To sum up, this is a carefully developed book that well deserves a significant place in the literature on Iranian history and politics. It hardly needs a reviewer's recommendation because it will be recognized easily for the splendid contribution it is, and it will be utilized and quoted by many scholars to come.
^Abrahamian, Ervand (1989). Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin. London: I.B. Tauris. p. 3. What were the appeals of the Mojahedin and what groups in particular were towards its ranks? In short, what were the links between its ideology and its social bases?
^Bayat, Mangol (April 1991). "Reviewed Work: The Iranian Mojahedin by Ervand Abrahamian". The American Historical Review. 96 (2): 573–574. doi:10.2307/2163361. JSTOR2163361. Ervand Abrahamian's new book is a sober, and sobering, account of the history of one of the best organized and most experienced lay Islamic political movements active in the Middle East today. [...] This book is of great importance to all historians of modern Iran and modern Islamic political movements.
^Hajjar, Lisa (Summer 2000). "Reviewed Work: Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran by Ervand Abrahamian". Middle East Journal. 54 (3): 468–469. JSTOR4329514. ...an important contribution. With an encyclopedic account of abuses perpetrated over decades against those in custody... [...] This book is vital reading for anyone interested in the subjects it addresses.
^Alimagham, Pouya (2020). Contesting the Iranian Revolution: The Green Uprisings. Cambridge University Press. p. 27. ISBN9781108475440. ...Ervand Abrahamian, the eminent historian of modern Iran, noted...
^"PathMakers to Peace 2019". brooklynpeace.org. Brooklyn For Peace. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022. Mary Nolan and Ervand Abrahamian
