Philip Grobien
HISTORIAN
Hello and welcome to my website.
I am an independent researcher of Iranian history predominantly interested in the development of Iran’s territorial nationalism during the Qajar dynasty within the context of British and Russian imperial practices.
I studied economics in the 1980’s and pursued a career in business. In middle age, I went back to university and, after an MA in Global History and a doctorate in Iranian studies from the University of St. Andrews I became an historian.
I publish regularly in journals. Iran at the Paris Peace Conference: International Diplomacy and The Pursuit of Imperial Nationalism is my first book.
Research
Whilst I have a broad interest in Iranian history, my research is mainly focused on the Qajar and early Pahlavi eras, roughly between 1789 and 1925. Much of this research resonates in Iran today.
My original interest was how the development of Iran’s borders during the Qajar era affected and was affected by the growth of Iranian nationalism against the background of ever-increasing British and Russian hegemony in Iran.
This led me to a doctoral thesis, ‘Resurrecting Empire: Iranian Irredentism in 1919’, which examined the importance of resurrecting Iran’s Imperial borders within the context of national urges expressed at the Peace of Paris in 1919.
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Since then I have explored Iran's history between 1906 and 1925 in more depth. I have focused on Iran's fortunes regarding its borders and the opportunities to regenerate itself. This included an assessment the Anglo-Persian Agreement (1919) as well as other attempts.
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This has led me to write a monograph about Iran's attempts at the Peace of Paris in 1919 which sought to established a revitalised and modern Empire.
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My primary interest now is to go back and examine the notion of Iran's borders.
New Book
Iran at the Paris Peace Conference: International Diplomacy and the Pursuit of Imperial Nationalism (London: I.B.Taurus, 2024)
The end of the Qajar era in Iran, despite the accepted narrative of decline, was in fact an occasion of modern and forward-thinking nationalism. Iran developed an imperial nationalism, which was informed by its experiences under British and Russian hegemony and the absorption of Western modern ideas and practices, and which now looked towards a future as a sovereign and independent state within the foundational framework of its previous Empire. Emboldened by post-WWI notions of self-determination and the development of international institutions devoted to peace, Iran spearheaded its new-found diplomacy by sending a delegation to the peace talks in Paris in 1919.
This book shows how Iran's immediate post-war diplomacy came about, the conduct of Iran's delegation to Paris, frustrations with the Anglo-Persian Agreement, and ultimately how Iran's progress became the victim of British imperialism. Throwing a spotlight on an under-researched period of Iranian history, it will be of interest to readers of Iranian history, and those interested in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.
Publications
Journals (date order)
‘Modernity, Borders and Maps: Iran’s Ability to Advocate for its Borders During the Reign of Naser al-Din Shah’, Iran, DOI: 10.1080/05786967.2021.1895672
‘Confronting British Imperialism: Iran at the Peace of Paris, 1919’ in epoch-magazine, Feb 26, 2021.
‘Iran and imperial nationalism in 1919’, Middle Eastern Studies, DOI: 10.1080/00263206.2020.1853535.
‘The Origins and Intentions of the Anglo-Persian Agreement 1919: A Reassessment’, Iran, DOI: 10.1080/05786967.2022.2080581
‘The Politics of Economic Development: The Anglo-Persian Agreement, 1919’, Iran, forthcoming.
Books
Iran at the Paris Peace Conference: International Diplomacy and the Pursuit of Imperial Nationalism (London: I.B.Taurus, 2024)
Seminars and Workshops
BIPS Online Workshop ‘Iran and the International: Iranian Foreign Policy’, 8-10 June 2021.
Title: 1919, Modernity, and a Juncture in Iran’s Foreign Policy.
Mohammad Ali Foroughi Workshop, University of St. Andrews, 20 May, 2022.
Speaker: Foroughi at the Paris Peace Conference.
‘Partition Machine: The Treaty of Lausanne 100 Years Later’, 10-11 August, 2023, University of Glasgow.
Speaker: Lord Curzon and Iran at the Peace of Paris, 1919.
Get in Touch
