Home History The Incarcerated Modern
book: The Incarcerated Modern
Book
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

The Incarcerated Modern

Prisons and Public Life in Iran
  • Golnar Nikpour
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2024
View content
View more publications by Stanford University Press
To Publisher Page

About this book

Iran's prison system is a foundational institution of Iranian political modernity. The Incarcerated Modern traces the transformation of Iran from a decentralized empire with few imprisoned persons at the turn of the twentieth century into a modern nation-state with over a quarter million prisoners today. In policing the line between "bad criminal" and "good citizen," the carceral system has shaped and reshaped Iranian understandings of citizenship, freedom, and political belonging.

Golnar Nikpour explores the interplay between the concrete space of the Iranian prison and the role of prisons in producing new public cultures and political languages in Iran. From prison writings of 1920s leftist prisoners and communiqués of 1950s militant Islamists, to paintings of 1970s revolutionary guerrillas and mapping projects organized by contemporary dissident prisoners, carceral confinement has shaped modern Iranian political movements. Today, mass incarceration is a global phenomenon. The Incarcerated Modern connects Iranian history to transnational carceral histories to illuminate the shared architectures, economies, and techniques of modern punishment.

Author / Editor information

Golnar Nikpour is Assistant Professor of History at Dartmouth College.

Reviews

"As the prison writings examined here suggest, incarceration has been the equivalent of a university education for the disenfranchised, and this excellent book is a good introduction to that curriculum."—Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs --- "Nikpour focuses her excellent discussion on the foundations and consequences of incarceration in modern Iran. She presents a compelling argument for viewing carceral systems as transnational, historically novel, and socially radical phenomena, whether located within the architectural space of prisons or experienced through surveillance of public life. Recommended."—B. Tavakolian, CHOICE --- "The Incarcerated Modern is one of those exceptionally rare, original books that transcends academic disciplines and opens up myriad terrains of inquiry. Golnar Nikpour powerfully and convincingly illustrates how the modern prison is global in scope—linked to colonial histories, nation-states, and global politics." —Shahla Talebi, Arizona State University --- "The Incarcerated Modern tells the story of Iran's transformation from a fading empire into a modern nation-state. Steeped in rich archival research, the book brilliantly unpacks the foundational significance of the carceral system and reveals the paradox of this massive system of surveillance—stabilizing the state while creating the space in which modern political movements came into being. A must read!" —Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, Princeton University --- "Prisons that purport to isolate from public view nevertheless have a public life, Golnar Nikpour contends in this revelatory study. The Incarcerated Modern's depiction of transnational solidarity and human rights movements attempting to confront carcerality worldwide is acute and indispensable." —Samuel Moyn, Yale University

Topics

  • Publicly Available

    Frontmatter

    i
    Download PDF
  • Publicly Available

    Contents

    vii
    Download PDF
  • Publicly Available

    Acknowledgments

    ix
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Introduction. On the Significance of the Iranian Prison

    1
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    One. Lawlessness and Order. The Qajar Roots of Modern Prisons in Iran

    34
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Two. The Criminal Is the Patient, the Prison Will Be the Cure: Building the Carceral Imagination in Pahlavi Iran

    61
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Three. Like a Fertile Storm. Prisons and Revolutionary Worldmaking in the Iranian Guerrilla Era

    95
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Four. The Iranian Prison Goes Global: Iranian Revolutionaries and the International Human Rights Movement

    129
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Five. Making an Example: Carceral Utopianism and Prison Expansion in Revolutionary Iran

    166
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Six. Carcerality beyond Prisons? The Politics of Punishment in the Contemporary Islamic Republic

    191
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Conclusion: Politics and Prisons beyond Reform

    218
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Notes

    225
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Bibliography

    287
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Index

    319

Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
February 5, 2024
eBook ISBN:
9781503637641
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
352
https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503637641
eBook ISBN: 9781503637641
Keywords for this book
Prisons; modern Iran; human rights; Islamic Revolution; Pahlavi Iran; Qajar Persia; criminology; critical prison studies; prison abolition; torture
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2026 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 26.2.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781503637641/html
Scroll to top button