Ervand Abrahamian Explained
Ervand Abrahamian |
Image Upright: | 1.3 |
Birth Name: | Ervand Vahan Abrahamian |
Birth Place: | Tehran, Iran |
Citizenship: | United States |
Occupation: | Historian |
Education: | Oxford University (BA 1963, MA 1968) |
Alma Mater: | Columbia University (MA 1966, PhD 1969) |
Thesis Title: | Social Bases of Iranian Politics: The Tudeh Party, 1941–53 |
Thesis Url: | https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/640109586 |
Thesis Year: | 1969 |
School Tradition: | Marxist historiography, Neo-Marxism[1] [2] [3] |
Academic Advisors: | Keith Thomas |
Influences: | Christopher Hill, E. P. Thompson |
Discipline: | Iranian studies, political history, social history |
Workplaces: | Baruch College Graduate Center, CUNY Princeton University New York University Oxford University |
Doctoral Students: | Touraj Atabaki[4] |
Main Interests: | Qajar dynasty, 1953 coup d'état, 1979 Revolution, Islamic Republic |
Notable Works: | A History of Modern Iran (2008) Khomeinism (1993) Iran Between Two Revolutions (1982) |
Spouse: | Mary Nolan |
Children: | 2 |
Ervand Abrahamian (born 1940) is an Iranian-American historian of the Middle East. He is Distinguished Professor of History at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and is widely regarded as one of the leading historians of modern Iran.
Early life
Ervand Vahan Abrahamian was born in 1940 in Tehran to Armenian parents. He attended three grades at the Mehr School in Tehran and was later sent off to Rugby School (1954-59),[5] a prestigious boarding school in England. He received his BA from Oxford University in 1963. He mainly studied European history with Keith Thomas.
He then moved to New York City, where he studied at Columbia University and received his first MA in 1966. He received a second MA from Oxford in 1968. Abrahamian earned a PhD from Columbia in 1969. His thesis was titled "Social Bases of Iranian Politics: The Tudeh Party, 1941-53." Abrahamian has stated that his "understanding of Iran [was] ... most shaped [by] the oil crisis of 1951-53 culminating in the coup."
Abrahamian was an activist and a member of the Confederation of Iranian Students — National Union (CISNU) that opposed the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the 1960s and 1970s. As of 1976, he was one of the vice chairpersons of the Committee for Artistic and Intellectual Freedom in Iran (CAIFI), a "minor front" of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP).[6]
Abrahamian is a naturalized American citizen. He is known to his friends as "Jed".[7]
As of 2019, he is married to Mary Nolan, Professor Emerita of History at New York University (NYU).[8] [9] He has two children, Emma and Rafi.[10]
Career
Abrahamian has formerly taught at Princeton University, New York University and Oxford University. However, 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 Iran.
He regularly comments on Iran's politics and economy, foreign relations of Iran, including Iran–United States relations. Abrahamian is considered an authority on Iranian opposition movements,[11] including the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK).[12]
He has appeared as a guest on BBC Persian,[13] Charlie Rose,[14] Worldfocus,[15] Amanpour & Company,[16] Democracy Now!,[17] Lou Dobbs Tonight, and other series and channels.
Views
In a preface to his 1989 book, Abrahamian describes himself as "a sceptic by intellectual training; a democratic socialist by political preference; and, as far as religious conviction is concerned, an agnostic on most days — on other days, an atheist."[18] [19] In 1983 he told The New York Times that he has an "independent Marxist point of view."[20] 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."[21] He has been influenced by Marxist historians Christopher Hill, Eric Hobsbawm, E. P. Thompson and others. He has called Thompson a "towering figure for a number of reasons — not just for historians of Iran, but also for Marxist historians throughout the world." He is generally sympathetic towards the Tudeh Party. Werner has described Abrahamian as a "vivid chronicler of the history of the Iranian Left, defying any attempt to view twentieth-century Iran exclusively through an Islamicate lens."
In 2007, Abrahamian called the theory of the US government being behind the September 11 attacks "absurd." He compared it to claims of Iran supporting anti-US Sunni insurgents in Iraq, calling the latter "just not possible." Abrahamian opined that if the US conducts airstrikes on Iran and triggers a war, it would last 30 to 100 years.
In 1986, he objected that The New York Times obituary of Loy W. Henderson did not mention his role in the 1953 Iranian coup d'état, which he described as "probably his most important contribution." He wrote to the Times: "Few ambassadors have so decisively changed the course of a country's history. What is more, he set a State Department precedent by permitting secret agents to use the embassy compound to carry out the coup. Your oversight would have amused George Orwell; it certainly would not have surprised him."[22]
In 2006, he described Iran as a "third world power."[23] In 2017 he noted that the "gradual but consistent shift to the right in recent years naturally erodes this welfare state and thereby undermines the social basis of the regime." He has described the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) as a "mystical cult."[24]
Abrahamian has said that "heroes are to be avoided." He has described Donald Trump as "at heart a con man spouting out verbiage to sell a particular product." He called the Trump presidency a "nightmare."
Publications
Abrahamian has authored or coauthored the following books:
- Book: Abrahamian, Ervand. Iran Between Two Revolutions. Princeton University Press. 1982. 9780691101347. Limited Paperback Editions, Princeton Studies on the Near East.
- Book: Abrahamian, Ervand. . I.B. Tauris. 1989. 9781850430773.
- Book: Abrahamian, Ervand. The Iranian Revolution. Yale University Press. 1989.
- Book: Abrahamian, Ervand. Khomeinism: Essays on the Islamic Republic. University of California Press. 1993. 9780520085039.
- Book: Abrahamian, Ervand. Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran. University of California Press. 1999. 9780520922907.
- Book: Cumings. Bruce. Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth about North Korea, Iran, and Syria. Abrahamian. Ervand. Ma'Oz. Moshe. The New Press. 2004. 9781595580382. New York, NY.
- Book: Barsamian. David. Targeting Iran. Chomsky. Noam. Abrahamian. Ervand. Mozaffari. Nahid. City Lights Books. 2007. 9780872864580. Open Media Series, Politics, Culture and Society Series. San Francisco, California. David Barsamian. Noam Chomsky.
- Book: Abrahamian, Ervand. A History of Modern Iran. Cambridge University Press. 2008. 978-0521821391.
- Book: Abrahamian, Ervand. The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations. The New Press. 2013. 9781595588265. New York, New York.
- Book: Abrahamian, Ervand. Oil Crisis in Iran: From Nationalism to Coup d' Etat. Cambridge University Press. 2022. 9781108837491. New York, New York.
Iran Between Two Revolutions
Abrahamian's best known and most cited[25] 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.
Initial reviews were largely positive.[26] [27] [28] Criticisms included disproportional focus on the Communist movement and the Tudeh Party, and reliance on British archives. Sepehr Zabih wrote that it is constrained by the ideological bias of neo-Marxist approach of E. P. Thompson. M. E. Yapp wrote: "with all its imperfections, Abrahamian's book is the most interesting and exciting book on the recent history of Iran which has appeared for many years." Zabih was more reserved: "this work is a significant addition to the literature on some aspects of the Iranian communist movement. The author is well versed in the selected periods of recent Iranian history. No one with sustained interest in Iranian politics, especially those of the left, could afford to ignore this volume." Gene R. Garthwaite wrote that the book made three significant contributions: "its class analysis will force all of us-Marxist and non-Marxist alike-to re-examine our ideas about Iran's twentieth-century history and will provide the basis for discussion for some time to come; it gives the best account of the development of the Tudeh party and its social, intellectual, and political bases; and it presents the most detailed account of the Pahlavi period (ca. 1921-78) and its political history."[29] Mazzaoui described it as "the best and most balanced account of the social and political developments in contemporary Persian history."
Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin
In (1989) Abrahamian investigated the origins and history of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK). He concludes that the MEK has become a "religio-political sect" and a cult of personality, "at its most extreme," has been formed around its leader, Massoud Rajavi.[30] It was well received by reviewers.[31] [32] 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.[33] 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."
Khomeinism
Abrahamian's 1993 book on Iran's first Supreme Leader, Ruhollah Khomeini and his ideology, is entitled Khomeinism. The book consisted of five essays. He argued that Khomeinism is "best understood as a populist movement, not a religious resurgence." He described Khomeini's movement as a form of Third World populism.[34] 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." Baktiari had a mixed review. He noted that it is well written, but "far from well documented." However, he called it a "stimulating book that deserves wide readership."[35] Fakhreddin Azimi described it as a "lucid and provocative book."
Tortured Confessions
Abrahamian's 1999 book Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran covers political repressions against opposition movements both before and after the Islamic Revolution, ending with the mass executions of 1988. It reviews interrogation tactics and prison facilities used in 20th century Iran. It was well received by critics.[36] [37] [38] Mahdi praised it as a significant and timely book.[39]
A History of Modern Iran
A History of Modern Iran, published in 2008, was widely praised. The book narrates state building of modern Iran.[40] John Limbert called it a "scholarly, readable, and engaging study of the last century of Iranian history."[41] Philip S. Khoury went as far as to describe it as "the most intelligent and perceptive history of modern Iran available in the English language."[42]
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.[43] David S. Painter opined that "Despite some problems, The Coup is a valuable corrective to previous work and an important contribution to Iranian history."[44] 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."[45]
Recognition
He is widely recognized a leading historian of modern Iran,[46] [47] [48] [49] [50] and, by some, as the "preeminent historian of modern Iran."[51] [52] [53] He has also been described as "one of the preeminent Iranian historians of his generation." Mansour Farhang noted that his books are "indispensable source of information, insight and analysis for scholars and general readers as well."[54] 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." Eric Hooglund wrote in 2000 that Abrahamian's books have "established his reputation as the leading scholar of Iran's twentieth-century social history."[55] 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."[56]
He was elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2010.[57] [58] He is a member of the Middle East Studies Association of North America and the American Historical Association.
References
- Notes
- Citations
External links
Notes and References
- Ricks . Thomas M. . Reviewed Work: Iran between Two Revolutions by Ervand Abrahamian . . Spring 1983 . 37 . 2 . 268–270 . For the Iranian specialist well-acquainted with Professor Abrahamian's past and present published materials, the decision to follow the lead of E. P. Thompson's neo-Marxist approach throughout the book comes as no surprise.. 4326573 .
- McLachlan . Keith . Reviewed Works: Iran Since the Revolution. by Sepehr Zabih; Iran between Two Revolutions. by Ervand Abrahamian . . Spring 1983 . 59 . 2 . 305–306 . Professor Abrahamian proposes that a neo-Marxist approach to contemporary Iranian history is the only one compatible with persuasive socio-political analysis.. 2620007 . 10.2307/2620007 .
- Web site: Sealy . Aaron Vahid . "In Their Place": Marking and Unmarking Shi'ism in Pahlavi Iran . . https://web.archive.org/web/20210903050252/https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/86360/asealy_1.pdf . 3 September 2021 . 4 . 2011 . Ervand Abrahamian is the most prominent neo-Marxist historian of the Pahlavi period..
- Web site: Touraj Atabaki . . . https://web.archive.org/web/20200228121918/https://archief.socialhistory.org/en/staff/touraj-atabaki . 28 February 2020.
- Web site: Lunch with Ambassador Wisner (Tu 56-57) . rugbyschool.co.uk . . https://archive.today/20220104111948/https://web.rugbyschool.co.uk/american-friends-of-rugby/events/lunch-with-ambassador-wisner-tu-56-57/ . 4 January 2022 . New York Rugbeians [...] Historian and City University of New York Professor Ervand Abrahamian (M 54-59) ... . 4 January 2022 . live .
- Book: McDonald . Lawrence P. . Larry McDonald . Trotskyism and Terror: The Strategy of Revolution . 1977 . ACU Education and Research Institute . Washington, D.C. . 35-36.
- Book: Gleason . Abbott . Abbott Gleason . A Liberal Education . 2010 . TidePool Press . 9780975555743 . 218.
- Web site: PathMakers to Peace 2019 . brooklynpeace.org . Brooklyn For Peace . https://archive.today/20220104111823/https://brooklynpeace.org/pathmakers-to-peace-2019-gala/ . 4 January 2022 . Mary Nolan and Ervand Abrahamian . 4 January 2022 . live.
- Web site: Mary Nolan . as.nyu.edu . NYU Arts & Science . https://web.archive.org/web/20210418181243/https://as.nyu.edu/faculty/mary-nolan.html . 18 April 2021.
- Abrahamian, Ervand (2013). The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations, dedication page
- News: MacFarquhar . Neil . Neil MacFarquhar . Iran's Latest Protests Are Seen as the Toughest to Stop . The New York Times . June 16, 2009 . ...noted Ervand Abrahamian, an expert on Iranian opposition movements at Baruch College..
- News: Kingsley . Patrick . Highly Secretive Iranian Rebels Are Holed Up in Albania. They Gave Us a Tour. . The New York Times . February 16, 2020 . ...according to Professor Ervand Abrahamian, a historian of the group..
- Web site: تهدید ایران به گرفتن انتقام خون سلیمانی - شصت دقیقه ۱۴ دی . BBC Persian on YouTube . fa . January 5, 2020.
- Web site: Ervand Abrahamian . charlierose.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20130403220353/http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/7175 . 3 April 2013 . June 16, 2011.
- Web site: Martin Savidge interviews Ervand Abrahamian on Iran and sanctions . worldfocusonline on YouTube . November 30, 2009.
- Web site: Historian Explains US and Iran's Long, Complicated History . pbs.org . https://web.archive.org/web/20200229225026/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/amanpour-and-company/video/historian-explains-us-and-irans-long-complicated-history/. 29 February 2020 . 1 January 2020.
- Web site: Iran expert: Military confrontation is "inevitable" . Democracy Now! on YouTube . June 21, 2019.
- Book: Abrahamian . Ervand . Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin . 1989 . . London . ix . Acknowledgements . I am an Armenian-Iranian by birth; a sceptic by intellectual training; a democratic socialist by political preference; and, as far as religious conviction is concerned, an agnostic on most days — on other days, an atheist. April 1988..
- Also cited in Book: Dabashi . Hamid . Hamid Dabashi . Theology of Discontent: The Ideological Foundatation of the Islamic Revolution in Iran . 2006 . Transaction Publishers . xlviii . Preface.
- News: Shribman . David . David M. Shribman . THE MIDDLE EAST TURMOIL SPILLS INTO U.S. CLASSROOMS . The New York Times . December 25, 1983.
- Marcinkowski . Christoph .
de:Christoph Marcinkowski
. Ervand Abrahamian, A History of Modern Iran . Islam and Civilisational Renewal . January 2011 . 2 . 406–408 .
- News: Abrahamian . Ervand . Credit Where Due . The New York Times . 11 April 1986.
- News: MacFarquhar . Neil . Neil MacFarquhar . How Iran's Leader Keeps the West Off Balance . The New York Times . December 17, 2006.
- News: Sciolino . Elaine . Iranian Opposition Movement's Many Faces . The New York Times . June 30, 2003.
- Web site: Ervand Abrahamian . scholar.google.com . . 28 February 2020.
- Campbell . John C. . Reviewed Work: Iran: Between Two Revolutions by Ervand Abrahamian . . Fall 1982 . 61 . 1 . 236 . In many ways it is an impressive achievement, drawing on previously untapped Iranian sources and material from the British and American archives. . 20041415.
- Ferdows . Adele K. . Reviewed Work: Iran Between Two Revolutions by Ervand Abrahamian . . July 1983 . 17 . 1 . 42–43 . To sum up, this is a carefully developed book that well deserves a significant place in the literature on Iranian history and politics. It hardly needs a reviewer's recommendation because it will be recognized easily for the splendid contribution it is, and it will be utilized and quoted by many scholars to come.. 23057451 . 10.1017/S0026318400012578 . 164930460 .
- Binder . Leonard . Leonard Binder . Reviewed Work: Iran between Two Revolutions by Ervand Abrahamian . . August 1984 . 16 . 3 . 405–407 . I believe that the author has done a remarkably good job and that his book will become the standard introduction to contemporary Iranian political history.. 163048 . 10.1017/S0020743800028245 . 164088740.
- Garthwaite . Gene R. . Reviewed Work: Iran between Two Revolutions by Ervand Abrahamian . . December 1983 . 88 . 5 . 1303–1304 . 1904978 . 10.2307/1904978.
- Afshari . Reza . Reza Afshari . Reviewed Work: The Iranian Mojahedin by Ervand Abrahamian . . July 1990 . 24 . 1 . 62–63 . 23060814 . 10.1017/S0026318400022628 . 165003039.
- Farhang . Mansour . Reviewed Work: Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin by Ervand Abrahamian . . April 1990 . 163 . 45–46 . 3012564 . 10.2307/3012564.
- Bayat . Mangol . Reviewed Work: The Iranian Mojahedin by Ervand Abrahamian . . April 1991 . 96 . 2 . 573–574 . Ervand Abrahamian's new book is a sober, and sobering, account of the history of one of the best organized and most experienced lay Islamic political movements active in the Middle East today. [...] This book is of great importance to all historians of modern Iran and modern Islamic political movements. . 2163361 . 10.2307/2163361.
- Hooglund . Eric . Eric Hooglund . Reviewed Work: The Iranian Mojahedin by Ervand Abrahamian . . 1989 . 22 . 2/3 . 155–158 . 10.1017/S0021086200016066 . 4310684 . 245660036.
- Melville . Charles P. . Charles P. Melville . Reviewed Works: Khomeinism: Essays on the Islamic Republic by ERVAND ABRAHAMIAN; Islam and the Post-Revolutionary State in Iran by HOMA OMID . . July 1995 . 6 . 2 . 306–309 . 10.1093/jis/6.2.306 . 26195391 .
- Baktiari . Bahman . Reviewed Work: Khomeinism: Essays on the Islamic Republic by Ervand Abrahamian . . August 1995 . 27 . 3 . 382–383 . 176277 . 10.1017/S0020743800062346 . 162279019.
- Hajjar . Lisa . Reviewed Work: Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran by Ervand Abrahamian . Middle East Journal . Summer 2000 . 54 . 3 . 468–469 . ...an important contribution. With an encyclopedic account of abuses perpetrated over decades against those in custody... [...] This book is vital reading for anyone interested in the subjects it addresses.. 4329514.
- Rejali . Darius . Darius Rejali . Reviewed Work: Forced Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran by Ervand Abrahamian . . 2000 . 33 . 1/2 . 269–272 . 10.1017/S0021086200002231 . 4311371 . 245661481 .
- Werner . Christoph . Reviewed Work: Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran by Ervand Abrahamian . British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies . November 2000 . 27 . 2 . 239–240 . Despite the above criticism in certain points, it is highly applaudable that such a book is now in our hands and that it came out at this particular time. [..] It enriches our knowledge on modern Iran with a new and disquieting perspective.. 826111 .
- Mahdi . Ali Akbar . Reviewed Work: Tortured Confessions: Prison and Public Recantations in Modern Iran by Ervand Abrahamian . . August 2000 . 32 . 3 . 414–418 . 259518. 10.1017/S0020743800002567 . 162676627 .
- Ghamari-Tabrizi . Behrooz . Reviewed Work: A History of Modern Iran by Ervand Abrahamian . . August 2010 . 42 . 3 . 529–531 . 40784845 . 10.1017/S002074381000070X . 163049617 .
- Limbert . John . John Limbert . Reviewed Work: A History of Modern Iran by Ervand Abrahamian . Middle East Journal . Winter 2009 . 63 . 1 . 144–145 . 25482609.
- Khoury . Philip S. . Philip S. Khoury . Reviewed Work: A Modern History of Iran by Ervand Abrahamian . . March 2011 . 33 . 1 . 154–156 . 23033152. 10.1080/07075332.2011.572640 . 219643373.
- Byrne . Malcolm . Reviewed Work: The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations by Ervand Abrahamian . . February 2014 . 46 . 1 . 198–200 . 43303124. 10.1017/S0020743813001451 . 161794383.
- Painter . David S. . David S. Painter . Reviewed Work: The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations by Ervand Abrahamian . . December 2013 . 118 . 5 . 1494–1495 . 23784600. 10.1093/ahr/118.5.1494.
- Gasiorowski . Mark . Mark Gasiorowski . Reviewed Work: The Coup: 1953, The CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations by Ervand Abrahamian . Middle East Journal . Spring 2013 . 67 . 2 . 315–317 . 43698055.
- News: Balaghi . Shiva . Toensing . Chris . Let Cooler Heads Prevail on Iran . merip.org . . 15 June 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190611074733/https://merip.org/2006/06/let-cooler-heads-prevail-on-iran/ . 11 June 2019 . As Ervand Abrahamian, a leading historian of Iran, has noted....
- News: Bajoghli . Narges . The Hidden Sources of Iranian Strength . . May 15, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200105221818/https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/05/15/the-hidden-sources-of-iranian-strength/ . 5 January 2020 . As a prominent historian of Iran, Ervand Abrahamian has argued....
- News: The Iranian Revolution at 40 . The Pennsylvania Gazette . . 19 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190721090944/http://thepenngazette.com/the-iranian-revolution-at-40/ . July 21, 2019 . ...Ervand Abrahamian, who is perhaps the most influential contemporary historian of modern Iran, offered an analysis....
- News: Saffari . Siavash . Iran Protests: Changing Dynamics between the Islamic Republic and the Poor . diverseasia.snu.ac.kr . Seoul National University Asia Center . https://web.archive.org/web/20200227140047/http://diverseasia.snu.ac.kr/?p=324 . 27 February 2020 . Among others, Ervand Abrahamian, a leading historian of modern Iran, argues....
- Book: Alimagham . Pouya . Contesting the Iranian Revolution: The Green Uprisings . 2020 . . 9781108475440 . 27 . ...Ervand Abrahamian, the eminent historian of modern Iran, noted....
- News: Dabashi . Hamid . Hamid Dabashi . When the BBC did fake news . . 23 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200211063250/https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/bbc-fake-news-181122134554312.html . 11 February 2020 . ...the preeminent historian of modern Iran, Professor Ervand Abrahamian..
- News: Rad . Assal . The Hostage Crisis Is Damaging U.S.-Iran Relations Today. Yet Too Few Understand It . . 4 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200112064508/https://www.newsweek.com/hostage-crisis-damaging-us-iran-relations-today-yet-too-few-understand-it-opinion-1469465 . 12 January 2020 . Preeminent historian of modern Iran Ervand Abrahamian....
- News: Trump's actions will only embolden Iran's right-wing populists, says historian . . . January 10, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200211065531/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition/the-sunday-edition-for-january-12-2020-1.5416826/trump-s-actions-will-only-embolden-iran-s-right-wing-populists-says-historian-1.5422039 . 11 February 2020 . Ervand Abrahamian is the pre-eminent historian of modern Iran....
- News: Farhang . Mansour . 'Spies' Under the Persian Rug . . June 8, 2000 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200229224230/https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/spies-under-persian-rug/. 29 February 2020.
- Hooglund . Eric . Eric Hooglund . Reviewed Work: Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran by Ervand Abrahamian . . September 2000 . 11 . 3 . 388–391 . 26198210. 10.1093/jis/11.3.388 .
- Afshari . Reza . Reza Afshari . Reviewed Work: Tortured Confessions: Prisons and Public Recantations in Modern Iran by Ervand Abrahamian . . February 2002 . 24 . 1 . 290–297 . 20069598 . 10.1353/hrq.2002.0001 . 145509961 .
- News: Baruch College Historian Ervand Abrahamian Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences . baruch.cuny.edu . . https://web.archive.org/web/20200227140807/https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/news/abrahamian_amacad.htm . 27 February 2020.
- News: Seventeen faculty honored . . . April 19, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200227140940/https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/aaas/ . 27 February 2020.