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Palgrave Macmillan

Taghi Erani, a Polymath in Interwar Berlin

Fundamental Science, Psychology, Orientalism, and Political Philosophy

  • Book
  • © 2019

Overview

Authors:
  1. Younes Jalali

    1. Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, France

    View author publications

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  • Offers an engaging biography of Taghi Erani, drawing upon newly available archival documents

  • Sheds light on the rise and rule of Reza Shah and the tumultuous interwar years in Iran

  • Appeals to scholars and students interested in Iranian history, the history of science, and the Weimar Republic

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Table of contents (15 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xv
    Download chapter PDF

  2. The Arrest (1937)

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 1-15

  3. Tabriz (1902–1912)

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 17-29

  4. Tehran (1912–1922)

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 31-42

  5. Berlin (1922–1928)

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 43-52

  6. Foray in German Science

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 53-69

  7. German Orientalists

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 71-84

  8. The Accidental Orientalist

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 85-103

  9. Prewar & Postwar Psychology

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 105-117

  10. Autodidact in Psychology

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 119-137

  11. Debut in Political Activism

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 139-153

  12. Political Reflections

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 155-179

  13. The Quiet Period (1929–1933)

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 181-194

  14. The Post-quiet Period (1934–1937)

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 195-226

  15. The Geopolitical Game

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 227-259

  16. The End (1937–1940)

    • Younes Jalali
    Pages 261-277

  17. Back Matter

    Pages 279-301
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Keywords

About this book

A prominent civil servant, scientist, and intellectual, Taghi Erani was a pivotal figure in interwar Iran. Witness to two of the major political upheavals in the twentieth century—the rise of Pahlavi and the collapse of the Weimar Republic—he turned from fundamental science to leftwing activism and pacifism, leading to his arrest and death in prison. Younes Jalali traces his journey from Tehran to Berlin, where in the 1920s he crossed paths with the greatest German scientists and scholars of his day, including Max Planck, Albert Einstein, and Friedrich Rosen, and published seminal works on psychology and political philosophy. In the 1930s, as Reza Shah pursued rapprochement with the Third Reich, Taghi Erani was caught up in a crackdown on left-wing and pro-labor activists. His life and death offer a unique lens through which to view modern Iranian intellectual and political history.

Reviews

“A remarkable life, lucidly narrated, with valuable lessons for today.” (Noam Chomsky)

“This is an important and timely book on a neglected figure. It sheds much light on Taghi Erani and his circle, and also on the wider intellectual and political history of modern Iran.” (Stephanie Cronin, Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Research Fellow, St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford, UK)

“This book tells a fascinating story of an aspiring Persian scientist who, unintentionally, became a German ‘orientalist,’ and subsequently a psychological autodidact, philosopher of science, and leftwing political activist.  Drawing on sources in many languages, this transnational study offers unusual insight into the simultaneously exhilarating and treacherous worlds inhabited by non-western intellectuals in the twentieth century’s first half.” (Suzanne Marchand, Boyd Professor of History, Louisiana State University, USA)

“The fruit of many years of labor, this book elucidates the complications and politics of Iranian history through the lens of Erani’s spectacular life.” (Colin Atkinson FRS, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, Imperial College London, UK)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, France

    Younes Jalali

About the author

Younes Jalali is a former assistant professor in the School of Earth Sciences at Stanford University, USA. Born in Iran and educated in the US, he is interested in the history of science and Iranian history.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Taghi Erani, a Polymath in Interwar Berlin

  • Book Subtitle: Fundamental Science, Psychology, Orientalism, and Political Philosophy

  • Authors: Younes Jalali

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97837-6

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-97836-9Published: 30 August 2018

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-07414-2Published: 28 December 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-97837-6Published: 28 August 2018

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XV, 301

  • Topics: History of the Middle East, History of Germany and Central Europe, Intellectual Studies

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