revised and extended article: the last muslim intellectual, the life and legacy of jalal al-e ahmad: political economy approach

Jalal al-e ahmad was a leading iranian writer and critic, best known for his long essay, gharbzadegi or weststruckness, which many critics controversially regard as a harbinger of the islamic revolution. there is no doubt that, willy-nilly, what was believed to be his rejection of western civilization was posthumously very influential in shaping public opinion.  dabashi’s largely uncritical biography is useful in its description of al-e ahmad’s life but is flawed in its interpretation and analysis of his works. in particular, it ignores al-e ahmad’s extensive resort to conspiratorial theories and his cavalier treatment of not just iranian but world history to prove his case. this article could be accounted as a new analysis of the political economy of ale-e ahmad as well.