Dr. Giorgia Perletta's book offers a critical deconstruction of radicalism as a political category and through this analytical approach seeks to interpret and assess the presidencies of the former Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. It contextualizes radicalism within a broader framework of Western-derived political categories, which are too frequently used to simplify the complexities of Iran's domestic political landscape, generally reducing any comprehensive and objective understanding of Iranian politics. Since the term radicalism is often misrepresented and misused in readings of contemporary Iran, this study examines several analogous Persian and English labels, exploring their different meanings, significances, and varied applications, in order to challenge any fixed and universal interpretations of radicalism as a concept. The political experience of Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who has been widely perceived as a radical politician, provides an ideal case study in this regard, offering valuable insight into how best to frame and interpret radicalism in post-revolutionary Iran. This book will be of particular interest to both scholars and students of Iranian Studies, but also to more general readers who are broadly interested in Middle Eastern studies, political science, and comparative politics.
DR. GIORGIA PERLETTA is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Bologna. She is also Adjunct Lecturer at the Graduate School for Economics and International Relations (ASERI) in Milan, where she teaches History and Politics of Modern Iran and Water Security in the Middle East. Since 2020, she is Visiting Lecturer at the Prague University of Economics and Business, where she teaches a course on "Iran and the International System: past and present."
Previously, she was Program Coordinator of the Master in Middle Eastern Studies at the Graduate School of Economics and International Relations (ASERI) in Milan. In 2019, she obtained a PhD in Institutions and Policies from the Catholic University in Milan, where she is currently Teaching Assistant for courses in Geopolitics (undergrad), and History and Institutions of Asia (Grad).