The Plundering Nation-State: Non-Persian Peoples, Environmental Exploitation, and the Rise of Modern Iran (1911-1978)

In my project, I aim to shed light on how the construction of modern nation state in Iran resulted in the environmental marginalization of the indigenous population across the country. The modern state in Iran, I contend, is a product of annexation and plundering of the resources and lands of indigenous populations and minority groups such as the Arabs, the Kurds, the Baluchis and so on. In fact, I aim to show how the Persian in Iran came to dominate the whole country, marginalized non-Persian communities and manipulate their natural resources in the course of twentieth century. Modernization policies and foreign-led developmental projects, especially in the context of the Cold War, have been of great importance for the Persian elites to marginalize the resources of the stateless population in Iran. in my project I aim to construct this history.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ariel Salzmann

Student:

Partner:

University of Sussex

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Indigenous Affairs; Natural Resources; Water

University:

Queen's University

Program: