Description
Book SynopsisThis book studies Iran's conversion to Islam in the ninth to eleventh centuries, focusing on the historical consciousness of Iranians at that time. It emphasizes the importance of a shared history for groups and traces the remolding of Iranian history and identity that occurred when Iran's heritage was re-evaluated in light of Islam.
Trade Review'The New Muslims of Post-Conquest Iran will prove fascinating to anyone interested in identity narratives and how authors shape the past in the service of the present. Savant builds a bridge between the history of Persia and the memory of Persia, and atop this bridge we can clearly witness the inherent tension in any identity between the old and the new.' Elizabeth Urban, Marginalia
'The New Muslims of Post-Conquest Iran might ultimately shape Iranian and Islamic studies not only by contributing novel scholarship to the field, but also by speaking to non-specialists' interests as well.' Mahdi Tourage, American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences
'… the book [richly] captures … the medieval and modern historiographies … of … the first centuries of the medieval Islamic empire; it is a valuable tool for students and scholars of the early history of Islamic Iran and Islam.' Camille Rhoné-Quer, translated from Remmm Revue des mondes musulmans et de la Méditerranée
Table of Contents1. Prior connections to Islam; 2. Muhammad's Persian companion, Salman al-Farisi; 3. Finding meaning in the past; 4. Reforming Iranians' memories of pre-Islamic times; 5. The unhappy prophet; 6. Asserting the end of the past.
