Socioeconomic Inequality, Social Classes, and Mobility In Pre-Revolutionary Iran

On May 10, 2019, Professor Ali Banuazizi delivered the third Farman-Farmaian Annual Lecture in Amsterdam, organized by the Society for the Friends of the Farman-Farmaian Foundation (SFFRP) and the International Institute of Social History (IISH). Titled "Class, Inequality, and Social Mobility in Pre-Revolutionary Iran," the lecture examined the social and economic dynamics of the late Pahlavi period, often cited as key factors behind the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Prof. Banuazizi presented a broad overview of the emerging class structure of the time, exploring the rapid but uneven economic growth, the widening gap between rich and poor, and the growing marginalization and impoverishment of rural migrants in urban centers. The analysis focused on the extent of poverty, income inequality, and social mobility in prerevolutionary Iran, and critically assessed the degree to which these factors may—or may not—have contributed to the revolutionary uprisings of the late 1970s. Prince Dr Sabbar Farman-Farmaian Research Project is an academic non-profit organization founded to promote and support research and scholarship on Iranian history (social, political, and economic), culture, and civilization. The Farman-Farmaian Family and the International Institute of Social History provided initial funding for the project. The Annual lectures constitute one of the key pillars of the Prince Dr Sabbar Farman-Farmaian Research Project’s objectives. Each year, the Executive Board invites eminent Iran studies scholars and academicians to participate in these lectures on topics of their respective expertise.