Redirecting Mobilities

The construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway fundamentally altered the qualities, scales, and directions of mobilities, challenging the assumption that such projects centered around major urban hubs like Tehran. Through an analysis of petitions to the Majles, this study reveals how railway development relied on the displacement of agriculturalists, the transformation of tribal labor into routinized workforces, and the redirection of transnational labor flows—effectively reversing prior patterns of movement. The research highlights that mobility during infrastructure projects is decentralized, originating from multiple locations and reshaping social and economic dynamics in complex ways.

Koyagi, M. (2021). Redirecting Mobilities. Iran in Motion, 85–109. https://doi.org/10.11126/stanford/9781503613133.003.0005