Publications
Masters of the Garden: An Environmental History of Nation-Building in Pahlavi Iran
Environmental transformation was central to Pahlavi Iran's nation-building and global reassertion, revealing a legacy that persists today. The study argues that major projects like the Trans-Iranian Railway, dams, and anti-desertification efforts were not primarily about ecological sustainability but served to expand state control while marginalizing dissenting groups. These initiatives, though granting international prestige, also created long-term vulnerabilities for the Pahlavi dynasty. By analyzing these episodes through an environmental lens, the research uncovers how Iran's distinct historical trajectory—lacking imperial infrastructure yet aspiring to pre-Islamic grandeur—shaped its modernization and left a lasting impact on current environmental challenges.
Mikaya Koyagi. Iran in Motion: Mobility, Space, and the Trans-Iranian Railway.
The Trans-Iranian Railway is reimagined through the lens of mobility and spatial transformation in Mikaya Koyagi's Iran in Motion. The book argues that the railway's construction during the late 19th century was not merely an engineering feat but a catalyst for profound socio-spatial changes across Iran. Koyagi employs a multidisciplinary approach, integrating historical analysis with spatial theory to demonstrate how the railway reshaped regional connectivity, economic landscapes, and cultural identities. The study challenges conventional narratives by emphasizing the railway's role in creating fluid, dynamic spaces rather than fixed geographical boundaries.
Iran in Motion: Mobility, Space and the Trans-Iranian Railway by Mikiya Koyagi
Iran in Motion: Mobility, Space and the Trans-Iranian Railway by Mikiya Koyagi reveals that the Trans-Iranian railway network, constructed under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s regime, facilitated diverse mobilities and subjectivities beyond the state's initial intentions. The study demonstrates how technology transfer adapted to Iran's evolving needs reshaped national space and societal dynamics in the 20th century. By integrating historical analysis with mobility studies, Koyagi explores the railway's socio-political impact, highlighting its role in creating new forms of movement and identity. While the empirical evidence primarily focuses on elite perspectives, the book effectively theorizes the unintended consequences of railway-induced mobilities, particularly in religious pilgrimage contexts.
Iran in Motion; Mobility, Space, and the Trans-Iranian Railway, by Mikiya Koyagi
A groundbreaking analysis reveals the Trans-Iranian Railway as a pivotal agent of spatial transformation, reshaping Iran's economic and social landscapes during its construction (1890–1940). Mikiya Koyagi demonstrates how this infrastructure project, spanning 1,300 km from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf, accelerated mobility while simultaneously reinforcing colonial power dynamics. The study employs a multi-scalar approach—combining archival records, engineering documents, and ethnographic observations—to uncover how railway expansion redefined regional connectivity, labor systems, and state formation in early 20th-century Iran. Koyagi's work challenges conventional narratives by framing the railway not merely as a technological achievement but as a catalyst for contested spatial practices that continue to influence Iran's development.
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.
Iran in Motion: Mobility, Space, and the Trans-Iranian Railway by Mikiya Koyagi
Koyagi's work reveals that the Trans-Iranian Railway, beyond its role as a state-sponsored modernization project, fundamentally reshaped Iranian mobilities through embodied experiences and labor dynamics. The study broadens historical narratives by integrating diverse actors—local and foreign laborers, engineers, migrants, and travelers—demonstrating their pivotal contributions to the railway's materiality and societal impact. It highlights how the railway's construction and operation fostered capitalist mobility, while also examining the political agency of railway workers in negotiating rights and the cultural shifts in travel norms among ordinary Iranians.
Iran in Motion: Mobility, Space, and the Trans-Iranian Railway, Mikiya Koyagi, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2021, ISBN: 9781503613133 (hbk), 296 pages.
The Trans-Iranian Railway is reimagined through the lens of mobility and spatial transformation in Mikiya Koyagi's 'Iran in Motion.' The book reveals how this 19th-century engineering marvel reshaped Iran's physical and social landscapes, integrating diverse regions while challenging traditional notions of national identity. Koyagi employs a multidisciplinary approach, blending historical analysis with spatial theory to dissect the railway's impact on infrastructure, politics, and daily life. By focusing on the railway as both a material structure and a symbol of modernity, the study offers a nuanced understanding of its enduring legacy in Iran's development.
Iran in Motion: Mobility, Space, and the Trans-Iranian Railway.By Mikiya Koyagi. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2021. 296 pp. Hardcover, $65.00. ISBN: 978-1-5036-131-33.
The Trans-Iranian Railway is reimagined through the lens of mobility and spatial transformation in Mikiya Koyagi's Iran in Motion. The book reveals how this 19th-century engineering marvel reshaped Iran's physical landscape, economic geography, and social dynamics. Koyagi employs a multidisciplinary approach, integrating historical analysis with spatial theory to dissect the railway's role as both a catalyst for modernization and a symbol of imperial ambition. By examining archival records, cartographic data, and oral histories, the study uncovers the railway's enduring legacy on Iran's infrastructure, identity, and global connectivity.
The Advent of Modern Construction Techniques in Iran: Trans-Iranian Railway Stations (1933-1938)
The construction of Trans-Iranian Railway stations (1933–1938) marked a pivotal shift in Iranian architecture, introducing modern materials like reinforced concrete and Western architectural practices. This transformation occurred under Reza Shah's Pahlavi dynasty, which prioritized rapid modernization and nationalist policies. The study examines how the integration of European architects and companies facilitated this transition, positioning railway stations as early examples of Iranian modern architecture. By analyzing these structures, researchers highlight their role in advancing construction technology and reshaping architectural education and practice during the 1930s.
Building a Transimperial Infrastructure
British imperial officials envisioned trans-Iranian railway projects as more than strategic tools; they aimed to reshape space transimperially by linking Europe with Asia through railways and steamships, positioning Iran as a pivotal corridor between East and West. This civilizational project sought to revive Iran's historical role, transcending mere geopolitical interests. The study examines pre-World War I proposals, revealing how these officials framed their ambitions in the language of progress and cultural revival.
Introduction. Iran in Motion
A novel approach to understanding the Trans-Iranian Railway reveals its role not merely as a tool for national integration under authoritarian rule, but as a catalyst for contestations over mobility. This book challenges conventional narratives by analyzing the railway project through the lens of spatial and qualitative mobility, examining how it reshaped both physical movement and individual embodied experiences. The study demonstrates that the railway's implementation led to new spatial categories and differentiated mobile subjects, contributing significantly to discussions on globalization, infrastructure, and space. It synthesizes multiple interconnected stories, offering a nuanced perspective on the project's impact.
Iran in Motion
The Trans-Iranian Railway, completed in 1938, fundamentally altered mobility and spatial experiences in Iran by connecting Tehran to the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf. This infrastructural megaproject reoriented flows of people and goods, simultaneously bringing provinces closer to Tehran while pulling them away, thereby reshaping local, national, and transnational dynamics. The study reveals how this railway facilitated diverse movements—voluntary and forced, intended and unintended—among diplomats, tribesmen, laborers, workers, tourists, pilgrims, and imperial officials. Using archival materials, newspapers, travelogues, memoirs, and industry publications from multiple countries, the research traces contested imaginations of mobility from the railway's conception during the 19th-century global transport revolution to its early operational years, coinciding with Iran's oil nationalization movement in the 1950s. By weaving together individual experiences, it demonstrates how infrastructure projects can constantly redefine spatial perceptions and social interactions.
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.
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.
Traveling Citizens
The Trans-Iranian Railway, rather than imposing a homogeneous Europeanized experience, fostered differentiated traveling publics who simultaneously identified with local, national, and transnational communities. This study reveals how railway passengers shaped new subjectivities through mundane bodily motions within the railway space, transcending provincial, national, and transnational boundaries. It challenges the notion of a unified 'New Civilization' narrative, instead highlighting diverse identities and connectivities emerging from railway journeys in Iran.
Mobilizing Iran : experiences of the Trans-Iranian Railway, 1850-1950
The Trans-Iranian Railway project, spanning from 1850 to 1950, facilitated diverse societal experiences and interpretations among various groups in Iran, challenging the homogenizing vision of modernization. This study reveals that railways were actively integrated into heterogeneous understandings of self, community, and nation by non-state actors, including merchants, laborers, and travelers. It also highlights the significance of transnational connections beyond Western influences, resituating Iran within a broader regional framework. The research employs an interdisciplinary approach, analyzing state-society interactions and intra-social dynamics during and after the Reza Shah period, with a focus on the often-neglected Allied occupation era.
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.
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