From Tehran to Tokyo: Foucault, Liberalism and the Politics of Our Time

Why did Michel Foucault, the great skeptic of Western power, become enamored with the Islamic Revolution in Iran? And what does his lesser-known engagement with postwar Japan reveal about the global crisis of liberalism?In From Tehran to Tokyo, Alex Randall Kittredge unpacks the most enigmatic chapter of Foucault’s political thought—his embrace of a revolution that defied the secular, rationalist ideals of Western liberalism. But this is no simple intellectual biography. Drawing on rich archival research and gripping narrative storytelling, Kittredge places Foucault’s controversial writings on Iran alongside his meditations on Japanese modernity, uncovering a profound and disturbing through-line: a deep suspicion of liberal democracy and a search for alternatives in unexpected places.This is a story of ideas colliding with history—of Tehran’s streets, Tokyo’s quiet order, and the twilight of Western certainty. For readers of political theory, Middle East studies, global intellectual history, or Foucault studies, this is an unflinching look at how revolutions reshape not only nations, but the minds of those who try to understand them.Perfect For Readers Who Love:Orientalism by Edward SaidDiscipline and Punish by Michel FoucaultPolitical theory, Islamic studies, Japan studies, or postcolonial critique Read more