Preface

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents ix
3. List of Figures and Table xi
4. Preface xiii
5. Acknowledgments xix
6. Part I: The Civil Militia and State Control
7. 1. The Basij: Nongovernmental Organization, Administered Mass Organization, or Militia? 1
8. Part II: The Basij and the Shaping of an Insiders’ Network
9. 2. The History and Transformation of the Basij, 1980–2013 13
10. 3. Penetration into Society: The Organizational Structure of the Basij 31
11. 4. Mass Membership and Recruitment Training 37
12. 5. The Mass Indoctrination of Basij Members 55
13. Part III: The Basij and the Suppression of Others
14. 6. The Basij and Propaganda 69
15. 7. The Basij and Moral Control 75
16. 8. The Basij and Surveillance 87
17. 9. The Basij and Political Repression 93
18. Part IV: The Basij and the Controlling of Societal Sectors
19. 10. The Basij and the Controlling of Families 107
20. 11. The Basij and the Controlling of Schools 123
21. 12. The Basij and the Controlling of Universities 137
22. 13. The Basij and the Controlling of the Economy 155
23. Part V: The Sociology of the Basij—Motivations and Loyalty
24. 14. Basij Members—Islamic Warriors or Religious Thugs? 177
25. Conclusion: The Emergence of a Captive Society 193
26. Appendix: Excerpts from Official Basij Documents 197
27. Notes 211
28. Selected Bibliography 253
29. Index 273