American-Iranian Dialogues

Bringing together historians of US foreign relations and scholars of Iranian studies, American-Iranian Dialogues examines the cultural connections between Americans and Iranians from the constitutional period of the 1890s through to the start of the White Revolution in the 1960s. Taking an innovative cultural approach, chapters are centred around major themes in American-Iranian encounters and cultural exchange throughout this period, including stories of origin, cultural representations, nationalism and discourses on development. Expert contributors draw together different strands of US-Iranian relations to discuss a range of path-breaking topics such as the history of education, heritage exchange, oil development and the often-overlooked interactions between American and Iranian non-state actors. Through exploring the understudied cultural dimensions of US-Iranian relations, this book will be essential reading for students and scholars interested in American history, international history, Iranian studies and Middle Eastern studies.

Matthew K. Shannon is Associate Professor in History, Emory & Henry College, USA. He is the author of Losing Hearts and Minds: American-Iranian Relations and International Education during the Cold War (2017).

List of Figures List of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Introduction 1. Flags of Inconvenience: State Failure, Nationhood, and Contested Sovereignty in the late Qajar Encounter with the United States, John Ghazvinian 2. The Shuster Mission of 1911 and American Perceptions of Iran's First Revolution, Matthew Shannon 3. U.S.-Iran Relations through the Lens of Heritage Diplomacy: The Case of the Iranian Antiquities Bill of 1930, Kyle Olson 4. A Literary-Political Turn to Left: American Literature and Politics of Reception in Iran, Behnam M. Fomeshi 5. Pandering in the Persian Gulf: Iran, Arabia, and Anglo-American Relations, 1900-1971, Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet 6. De-Nationalized: Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the Consortium, and Global Oil, 1953-1963, Gregory Brew 7. Alborz, Bethel, and Community: Missionary Institutions in Postwar Tehran, Matthew K. Shannon 8. American Academics and U.S. Technical Aid for Iranian Modernization, Richard Garlitz 9. 'We Learned How to be Friends': What Oral History tells us about the American Peace Corps in Iran, Jasamin Rostam-Kolayi 10. "Support the 41": Iranian Student Activism in Northern California, 1970-1973, Ida Yalzadeh 11. Professional Transnationalism and Iranian-American Im/mobility in Michigan, Camron Michael Amin Conclusion: Third Parties, Non/state Actors, and the Ambiguities of U.S. Imperial Power Bibliography Index