At a time when state repression and political deadlock have shaken many people's faith in nonviolent struggle in Iran, this book confronts a pressing question: can peaceful resistance still bring change? Through penetrating interviews with four Iranian thinkers, it explores the ethics, limits, and realities of violence in political struggle. The book examines the risks of armed resistance, the complexities of civil disobedience, and the dangers facing a society pushed toward violent confrontation.

Cultural Iran brings together writers, scholars, and artists from Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and beyond to illuminate the idea of Iran as a shared cultural realm. Through essays, interviews, and reflections on language, identity, migration, cinema, and heritage, the volume maps the diverse yet interconnected world of Persianate culture. Its contributors examine the forces that have shaped this civilizational domain and the figures who have sustained a cultural world that transcends political borders.