Book Reviews 155

The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and the 
Struggle for Iran’s Future

Nader Hashemi & Danny Postel, eds.
Brooklyn, NY: Melville House Publishing, 2010. pbk. 462 pages

The People Reloaded ‒ an anthology of the multiplicity of voices, belong-
ing to various perspectives, fields, and geographical locations throughout 
the world, and primarily and principally in the Iran and Iranian diasporas 
‒ is edited by Nader Hashemi (of the University of Denver) and Danny 
Postel (the editor of The Common Review). The book is a definitive se-
lected collection of fifty-three writings and political analyses written by 

mailto:sshafi@iliff.edu


The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 28:3156

diverse voices interested in and engaged with the struggle for democracy 
in Iran. The People Reloaded is comprised of key documents, statements, 
interviews, letters, and essays ‒ and it seeks to capture “an important mo-
ment in Iran’s history (xxii).”

This book is a rich, consistently engaging anthology that makes an 
important effort to provide “an intellectual and political roadmap,” which 
helps the reader in understanding the tumultuous events that have rocked 
the Islamic Republic since June 2009 ‒ a period when the struggle for 
the democracy in Iran underwent a “momentous transformation (xi).” The 
facts, analyses, shadings, and nuances that these essays provide allow the 
reader to better understand whatever direction Iran can or may take in the 
future. The editors contribute to the work the introduction and two essays; 
the remaining essays are those of noted historians, political activists in 
and out of Iran, and journalists. Among the historians are Ervand Abra-
hamian, Hamid Dabashi, and Juan Cole; the activists include Ayatollah 
Mohsen Kadivar, Shirin Ebadi (2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner), and Hos-
sein Bashiriyeh; and the journalists include Roger Cohen, Stephen Kinzer, 
and Laura Secor. The combined effect is a history of the Green Movement, 
which includes much of Iran’s revolutionary past and a vision of the future 
of the Green Movement in its struggle for justice and a voice in the ancient 
civilization of Iran.

Organized chronologically, the book is divided into four parts: De-
mocracy in the Streets: The Birth of a Movement; Beyond “Where Is My 
Vote?” ‒ A Green Vision Takes Shape; Confronting Setbacks, Rethinking 
Strategy; and A Luta Continua: The Green Movement’s Second Year and 
the Struggle for Iran’s Future. These four parts consist of twelve, seven-
teen, ten, and fourteen essays respectively. They are preceded by the edi-
tors’ introduction and followed by notes and a list of contributors.

The book`s major title, The People Reloaded, is drawn directly from 
the title of one of Morad Farhadpour and Omid Mehrgan’s essays that 
speaks to this point ‒ the continuity of the democratic struggle within Iran, 
particularly in the post-revolutionary period. According to Farhadpour and 
Mehrgan: 

The expression “people reloaded” tries to capture this sense of repetition 
without mere imitation; and people are trying to redeem the lost hopes 
[during the period of last 30 years] and aspirations of the revolution, as 
they did once before by electing Khatami in 1997. But this time, we are 
much more resolute and creative. (131; italics added)



Book Reviews 157

Most essayists insist the Green Movement’s goal is not revolution, but is 
an adherence to the Iranian constitution, one which avoids narrow inter-
pretations of religious doctrine. The sociologist Asef Bayat, in his com-
pelling essay “A Wave for Life and Liberty,” maintains that the “hardline 
Islamists” have always feared that these values might not be able to hold 
firm if the nation opened up to the outside world. He further argues that 
the Islamists’ critique of globalization is linked to their deep anxiety over 
losing their self-worth in Iran itself and, thus, the challenge before Iran`s 
leaders is to “transform the rhetoric of ‘independence’” into a sacred entity, 
“a virtue whose violation would invite punishment (43).”

The book does not strive to be a history; instead, it serves as a guide 
on Iranian opposition politics, the understanding of the goals and strategies 
of the Green Movement, and the analyzing of methods for participation 
within Iran’s current system with the goal of change. There are also les-
sons on authoritarianism’s creeping ways: in his essay, Slavoj Žižek warns 
that governments increasingly embrace a form of capitalism delinked from 
democracy, and that the “virus of authoritarian capitalism” is slowly but 
surely spreading around the globe. And Farhadpour and Mehrgan note that 
in demanding or preserving rights, Iranians and citizens of any nation must 
be vigilant on multiple fronts.

It is true that the widespread protests of the year 2009 have faded be-
cause of the brutality and cruelty of the Iranian government, but there is no 
shadow of doubt that the Green Movement will shape the future of Iran. In 
his essay, “Strategies of Hope,” Nader Hashemi states:

The Green Movement’s nonviolent orientation can best be, affirmed by 
continuing to articulate a new future for Iran, one that marks a clear his-
torical break from the violent past and which is rooted in lessons from 
other political struggles that have universal appeal, such as ... the Afri-
can-American struggle for civil rights and the anti-apartheid struggle in 
South Africa. (406)

In other words, as a democratic-learning community, the Green Movement 
is still in its formative stage and as such, it is in the process of unceasing 
development. It is a self-institution and a self-formation that learns from 
its own errors. The effectiveness of the Green Movement rests, therefore, 
on self-organizing the Iranian civil society, a society which insists in living 
in truth against lies.

Recent protests in Iran proved that the Green Movement has not died, 
despite the crackdown since the disputed 2009 presidential election. And 



The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 28:3158

what is certain is that the current power holders have lost moral credibility 
by virtue of their brutal crackdowns on the Iranian civil society. Moreover, 
by asserting the republican principle of popular sovereignty, the Green 
Movement has posed a counterclaim of legitimacy against the Iranian the-
ocracy.

The People Reloaded will help the Green Movement stand as a model 
for future protests in Iran and elsewhere. In the Green Movement’s quest 
for reform, supporters display patience, a belief in nonviolence, and an 
willingness to unite behind one candidate. As many writers point out, 
eloquently and fervently, the Iranian people deserve reform of their own 
design. Nevertheless, Iran’s leaders continue to cling to control, but they 
should know from their own experiences, better than other leaders through-
out the greater Middle East, that “reform delayed is revolution.”

The People Reloaded ends without a conclusion to match its strong, 
descriptive, innovative, and informative introduction. This significant 
omission deprived the editors of the opportunity to tie up loose ends and 
reinforce the main points made in the essays. It also denied the readers a fit-
ting climax. The book also lacks an index. Besides these two weaknesses, 
the book is the first to bring together the leading voices and key players in 
Iran’s Green Movement—providing a vital resource for the study of Iran, 
social movements, and the future of the Middle East. The book is well de-
signed to give the reader with minimal knowledge of Iran’s current politics 
and its recent past a comprehensive overview of the last couple years and 
the historical context that shaped them. It is highly recommended for re-
searchers and analysts of political and international relations, particularly 
those with focus on Iran and sociopolitical movements in Middle East.

Tauseef Ahmad Parray 
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Islamic Studies, 

Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Aligarh, India
tauseef.parray21@gmail.com