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Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran
10.30484/jii.2026.3358
Abstract
Bread and Justice in Qajar Iran: The Moral Economy, the Free Market, and the Hungry Poor by Stephanie Cronin is a scholarly work that explores one of the most significant manifestations of social and economic discontent among the Iranian populace during the Qajar period. Drawing on select historical documents, government reports, and contemporary travelogues, the author investigates the economic, political, and historical roots of these riots. The study identifies factors such as the high price of bread, grain hoarding, drought, and the inefficiency of the state’s financial and administrative apparatus as the conditions that gave rise to popular protests. Cronin also highlights the role of various social groups—from ordinary people and bazaar merchants to the ʿOlamāʾ—in organizing or directing these riots, and demonstrates that, within the political and social culture of that era, bread transcended its status as a mere staple commodity to become a symbol of justice and the right to life. The book’s significance lies in its refusal to treat the bread riots merely as discrete historical events; rather, it interprets them as reflections of a crisis of political legitimacy and of class divisions within Qajar society, forging a link between these episodes and the broader social issues and political outlooks of the period’s societal strata. Through documented and analytical prose, this work offers a lucid portrayal of the relationship between livelihood, power, and justice at one of the most critical junctures of Iranian history.
jafari valani, A. A. and Amini Pouya, F. (2026). Bread Crises and the Hungry Poor in the Qajar Period and Their Consequences. International Journal of Iranian-Islamic Studies, 15(3), -. doi: 10.30484/jii.2026.3358
MLA
jafari valani, A. A. , and Amini Pouya, F. . "Bread Crises and the Hungry Poor in the Qajar Period and Their Consequences", International Journal of Iranian-Islamic Studies, 15, 3, 2026, -. doi: 10.30484/jii.2026.3358
HARVARD
jafari valani, A. A., Amini Pouya, F. (2026). 'Bread Crises and the Hungry Poor in the Qajar Period and Their Consequences', International Journal of Iranian-Islamic Studies, 15(3), pp. -. doi: 10.30484/jii.2026.3358
CHICAGO
A. A. jafari valani and F. Amini Pouya, "Bread Crises and the Hungry Poor in the Qajar Period and Their Consequences," International Journal of Iranian-Islamic Studies, 15 3 (2026): -, doi: 10.30484/jii.2026.3358
VANCOUVER
jafari valani, A. A., Amini Pouya, F. Bread Crises and the Hungry Poor in the Qajar Period and Their Consequences. International Journal of Iranian-Islamic Studies, 2026; 15(3): -. doi: 10.30484/jii.2026.3358
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