The Vernacular Journey: Railway Travelers in Early Pahlavi Iran, 1925–50

Railway travel in early Pahlavi Iran (1925–50) was not a unifying experience but a fragmented one, reflecting the diverse social, cultural, and ethnic divisions of Iranian society. Middle-class travelers used the railway space to assert their class identity while distinguishing themselves from others, driven by a desire for a homogeneously Europeanized nation. The study analyzes how journalists constructed the railway traveler as a symbol of modernity before 1938 and how, in the 1940s, the railway became a microcosm of Iran's heterogeneity, compelling travelers to seek national cohesion through extensive travel. It combines discourse analysis with spatial practices to reveal the complex social dynamics of early Iranian railway culture.

Koyagi, M. (2015). THE VERNACULAR JOURNEY: RAILWAY TRAVELERS IN EARLY PAHLAVI IRAN, 1925–50. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 47(4), 745–763. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0020743815000963