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American Schools and Educational Policies during the Pahlavi I Era (1925-1941)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 History Department, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 History Department, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

10.22059/jhss.2024.385450.473752

Abstract

 One of the actions of American Christian missionaries in Iran during the Qajar period was the establishment of schools with a new educational style in various parts of the country. Until the Pahlavi era, the activities of these schools were somewhat aligned with or cooperated with the government. However, with the rise of Reza Shah and the government's increased efforts to oversee and unify the educational system across Iran, the government gradually expanded its supervision and control over these schools. Various laws were enacted and implemented that gradually tightened the space for these schools. Schools that did not accept the new regulations were easily closed down. However, these measures alone did not seem sufficient to ensure that American schools operated within the framework of the new laws. The present research aims to answer the question, through archival documents and a descriptive-analytical approach, of how the changes in the educational system during the early Pahlavi period affected the activities of American missionary schools. This study argues that despite some resistance, most American missionary schools tried to adapt to the new order to avoid serious problems with their operations. Although, in the final years of the first Pahlavi era, they were forced to end their activities by selling all their property to the government, due to the centralized educational policies of the Ministry of Culture. It appears that the government's supervision of American missionary schools was less influenced by the fluctuations of political relations. In fact, this research seeks to answer the hypothesis that the Ministry of Education/Culture, by formulating and implementing centralized educational programs, restricted and ultimately dismantled the activities of American missionary schools in line with the nation-state strategy.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References
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Historical Sciences Studies
Volume 16, Issue 2 - Serial Number 38
March 2025
Pages 315-344
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