The Road to Salvation

Nationalist discourse in Iran between the 1860s and World War I positioned the trans-Iranian railway as a symbol of national unity, contrasting it with imperial railway projects aimed at integrating Iran into broader colonial spaces. The study reveals that Iranian encounters with railway technology in neighboring regions significantly influenced their understanding of state roles, transportation integration, and the purpose of railway development. Adopting a spatial framework beyond Iran and the West, this research highlights how these encounters shaped contentious issues surrounding railway construction, offering new insights into the socio-political dimensions of infrastructure development in early 20th-century Iran.

Koyagi, M. (2021). The Road to Salvation. Iran in Motion, 40–62. https://doi.org/10.11126/stanford/9781503613133.003.0003