Poulson, Stephen C. 1966-

PERSONAL:

Born 1966. Education: James Madison University, B.S.; Florida State University, M.A.; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Ph.D.

ADDRESSES:

Office—James Madison University, Sheldon Hall, MSC 7501, Harrisonburg, VA 22807. E-mail—poulsosc@jmu.edu.

CAREER:

James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology.

WRITINGS:

Social Movements in Twentieth-Century Iran: Culture, Ideology, and Mobilizing Frameworks, Lexington Books (Lanham, MD), 2005.

Contributor of editorials and articles to newspapers and journals, including the Roanoke Times and American Behavioral Scientist.

SIDELIGHTS:

Stephen C. Poulson teaches sociology and anthropology at James Madison University in Virginia. In his first book, Social Movements in Twentieth-Century Iran: Culture, Ideology, and Mobilizing Frameworks, Poulson uses social movement theory to analyze Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution. Poulson argues that Iran's twentieth-century history should be considered in terms of an interconnected set of social movements and protest cycles. Social Movements in Twentieth-Century Iran begins with an introduction to social movement theory and is then divided into two sections. The first discusses the mechanics of mobilizing social movements in Iran, and the second is focused on specific Iranian political movements, such as the Tobacco Movement, the Constitutional Revolution, and the rise of the communist Tudeh Party.

Writing for the Historian, Behnaz Mirzai called Social Movements in Twentieth-Century Iran "remarkable for highlighting the place of leaders, who used traditional cultural narratives, identified social problems, established a collective Islamic identity, and explored innovative forms of protest to mobilize people." Although the reviewer felt the work was limited in relying solely on English-language texts, Mirzai nonetheless called it an insightful interdisciplinary synthesis of the available materials "useful for general readers and nonspecialists, as well as undergraduate students of history, sociology, and political science."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, July 1, 2006, A. Mahdi, review of Social Movements in Twentieth-Century Iran: Culture, Ideology, and Mobilizing Frameworks.

Historian, March 22, 2007, Behnaz Mirzai, review of Social Movements in Twentieth-Century Iran, p. 94.

International Journal of Middle East Studies, August 1, 2007, Cyrus Schayegh, review of Social Movements in Twentieth-Century Iran, p. 501.

Reference & Research Book News, February 1, 2006, review of Social Movements in Twentieth-Century Iran.

ONLINE

James Madison University Web site,http://www.jmu.edu/ (July 12, 2008), profile of author.