Iran in Motion: Mobility, Space, and the Trans-Iranian Railway

A transnational and decentralized history of the Trans-Iranian Railway (TIR) reveals its complex role in shaping Iranian sovereignty, mobility, and nation-building. Unlike colonial railways, the TIR was built by a sovereign national government, funded through state monopolies rather than loans, and resisted British proposals for east-west routes to counter Russian influence. The study highlights the railway's uneven impact on local communities, including tribal areas like Lorestan, where employment opportunities facilitated pacification while creating interdependent relationships with the Pahlavi state. Additionally, it underscores the TIR's global significance during World War II as a critical link in the Lend-Lease program and its role in facilitating transnational movements of both communist revolutionaries and Shiʿi pilgrims. This approach challenges methodological statism in Iranian historiography by integrating local, regional, and international perspectives.

Azizi, A. (2022). Iran in Motion: Mobility, Space, and the Trans-Iranian Railway. Bustan: The Middle East Book Review, 13(1), 102–106. https://doi.org/10.5325/bustan.13.1.0102