Ervand Abrahamian

Ervand Abrahamian (; ; born 1940) is an Iranian-American historian of the Middle East. He is a Distinguished Professor of History at Baruch College and at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His work deals with political repression in the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as Iranian politics.

Early life Ervand Vahan Abrahamian He then received his B.A. in modern history from St John's College, Oxford, in 1963.

Career Abrahamian has formerly taught at Princeton University, New York University, Columbia University, and Oxford University. He has spent most of his career at the City University of New York (CUNY). He is currently Distinguished Professor of History at Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center. His research interests include the history and politics of the Middle East, primarily in Iran. including the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK). He has appeared as a guest on BBC Persian, Charlie Rose, Worldfocus, Amanpour & Company, Democracy Now!, Lou Dobbs Tonight, In 1983, he told The New York Times that he has an "independent Marxist point of view." Christoph Marcinkowski wrote that Abrahamian's publications "feature more or less the left-wing political perspective of their author – especially in terms of socio-political and socio-economic analysis." Abrahamian has been influenced by Marxist historians Christopher Hill, Eric Hobsbawm, E. P. Thompson, and others.

Publications

Iran Between Two Revolutions Abrahamian's best known book is Iran Between Two Revolutions (1982), published by Princeton University Press. It is an account of the history of Iran from the Constitutional Revolution of 1905–06 to the Islamic Revolution of 1978–79. Criticisms included disproportional focus on the Communist movement Mazzaoui described it as "the best and most balanced account of the social and political developments in contemporary Persian history." It was well received by reviewers. Eric Hooglund called it a "very important book" that provides "detailed, objective, and erudite analysis" of the MEK. He also argued that its most important contribution is the exposition of the party's ideology. Mazzaoui wrote: "There is very little to criticize in this masterfully written piece of current research. Dr. Abrahamian writes sympathetically and at times dramatically-but always as an accomplished scholar." Fred Halliday called it a "superb study of political ideology in general and of the ideological evolution of the founder of the Islamic Republic in particular." Fakhreddin Azimi described it as a "lucid and provocative book." Mahdi praised it as a significant and timely book.

A History of Modern Iran A History of Modern Iran, published in 2008, was widely praised. The book narrates state building of modern Iran. John Limbert called it a "scholarly, readable, and engaging study of the last century of Iranian history." Philip S. Khoury described it as "the most intelligent and perceptive history of modern Iran available in the English language."

The Coup Abrahamian's 2013 book The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations was met with mixed to favorable reviews. David S. Painter opined that "Despite some problems, The Coup is a valuable corrective to previous work and an important contribution to Iranian history." Mark Gasiorowski was more critical. He argued that the book does not provide any "major new revelations or insights and is misleading in several ways."

Recognition Abrahamian has been described as a prominent historian on modern Iran. He has also been described as the "preeminent historian of modern Iran," and also as "one of the preeminent Iranian historians of his generation." In 1995 Fred Halliday opined in Iranian Studies that Ervand Abrahamian "has already established himself as one of the finest writers on twentieth-century Iran." Reza Afshari wrote in 2002 that since the publication of the seminal Iran Between Two Revolutions (1982), Abrahamian has "become one of the most influential historians of modern Iran."

Abrahamian was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2010. He is also a member of the Middle East Studies Association of North America and the American Historical Association. In 1967, Abrahamian married Helen Mary Harbison, a cellist in the Princeton Chamber Orchestra and the Da Capo Chamber Players who was the sister of composer John Harbison and the daughter of historian E. Harris Harbison. Harbison died on January 27, 1981, of cancer.

As of 2019, Abrahamian is married to Mary Nolan, a professor emerita of history at New York University (NYU). He has two children: Emma and Rafi.