Ethos: A Critique of Eurocentric Modernity

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Ethos is a radical critique of Eurocentrism. In it, Ahmad Kasravi unleashes a scathing attack on Europes self-perceived superiority as well as on Eastern promoters of the idea. Kasravi proceeds to outline the ills of post-Enlightenment European civilization: imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, Orientalism. Embedded in Europes notions of progress, these phenomena have in reality brought about social Darwinism, racism, war-mongering, materialism, mindless consumerism, inequality and immorality in the world. Disputing the rationality or civility of these Western tokens, Kasravi warns Euro-enthusiasts in his country of the consequences of wholesale Westernization and instead advocates for a vernacular modernity premised on the noble virtues of Iranian culture and of rationalist Islam. In the process, Kasravi created the theoretical framework and the lexicon which many of his other works build upon, and which generations of other Iranian intellectuals of various persuasions would draw on. Placed in the context of similar polemical works from the global South, Ethoss import transcends the Iranian setting. It presents an embryonic articulation of post-colonial discourse which would, decades later, come to maturity and international recognition in the works of Edward Said and others.

Reviews

This translation of Kasravis Ain (Ethos) is an outstanding contribution to nativist works and critiques of Orientalism from Iran. There are only a few English translations of Kasravis compositions, and this is an accurate and valuable addition to the literature on this provocative pre-WWII observer of the ills of Europe. The translation by Rezae Yazdi is precise and readable, and the work is contextualised superbly by an introduction and afterward by Tavakoli-Targhi and Jaskowski respectively * Dr. Lloyd Ridgeon, University of Glasgow, UK *
Hamid Rezaei Yazdis excellent translation of Ahmad Kasravis text is a major addition to growing non-western intellectual contribution to post-colonial literature. Kasravis critique of Eurocentrism modernity marks Irans vibrant intellectual atmosphere during the inter-war period. This book represents a more cosmopolitan view of Irans encounter with the modern west and Mohamad Tavakol Taraghis introduction provides a thoughtful historical context in understanding Kasravis vision for his country. * Professor Ali Mirsepassi, New York University, USA *
At the turn of the twentieth century, a surge of brilliant intellectual personalities with many-sided interests and activities emerged in Iran. The profound discussions on modernity and tradition, nationalism and Islam, East and West, during this period heavily influence present-day Iran. One of the most fascinating individuals of this period was Ahmad Kasravi (1890-1946) a historian, linguist, lawyer and journalist. He is widely known for his hostility towards Shii Islam and Sufism and his controversial book-burning rituals. The present translation of his fundamental, yet little-known treatise Ain (Ethos), together with its excellent foreword by Tavakoli-Targhi and afterword by Jaskowski, gives insight into Kasravis intellectual legacy that usually passes unnoticed. This book demonstrates his highly critical attitude towards Western civilization and its disastrous influence on the East, and his belief in religion as a shield against the temptations of dehumanizing Western materialism. Interestingly, Kasravi calls for a charismatic leader who would bring the disoriented East back to its right path. The lecture of Ain makes one understand the winding and tangled ways the modern Persian mind travels: the ideological forerunners of the Islamic Revolution, Al-e Ahmad and Shariati, Kasravis critics, unexpectedly turn out to be continuators and creative developers of his ideas. The book is therefore required reading for anyone interested in the intellectual history of modern Iran. * Anna Krasnowolska, Professor, Jagiellonian University, Poland. *

Author Bio

Ahmad Kasravi is among the most influential Iranian intellectuals in the 20th century. He received traditional Islamic education as a seminarian, but was later drawn to modern science and scholarship. A philologist, anthropologist, linguist, jurist, journalist and historian, Kasravi was assassinated in 1946, but his works continued to influence both secular and Islamist modernists in Iran and beyond. Hamid Rezaei Yazdi is Professor at Humber College, Canada. He is the editor of Persian Literature and Modernity: Production and Reception (2019).