The pursuit of Pleasure, Drugs and Stimulans in Iranian History انگلیسی 2005

From ancient times to the present day, Iranian social, political, and economic life has been dramatically influenced by psychoactive agents. This book looks at the stimulants that, as put by a longtime resident of seventeenth-century Iran, Raphaël du Mans, provided Iranians with damagh, gave them a \kick,] got them into a good mood. By tracing their historical trajectory and the role they played in early modern Iranian society (١٥٠٠S١٩٠٠), Rudi Matthee takes a major step in extending contemporary debates on the role of drugs and stimulants in shaping the modern West. At once panoramic and richly detailed, The Pursuit of Pleasure examines both the intoxicants known since ancient timesTwine and opiatesTand the stimulants introduced laterTtobacco, coffee, and teaTfrom multiple angles. It brings together production, commerce, and consumption to reveal the forces behind the spread and popularity of these consumables, showing how Iranians adapted them to their own needs and tastes and integrated them into their everyday lives. Matthee further employs psychoactive substances as a portal for a set of broader issues in Iranian historyTmost notably, the tension between religious and secula