Javad Tabatabai

Javad Tabatabai (born 1945 in Tabriz), is Professor Emeritus and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Tehran. After pursuing studies in theology, law and philosophy, he earned his PhD (Doctorat d’État) in political philosophy from the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, with a dissertation on Hegel’s political philosophy. He has been a guest fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, as well as at the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs at Syracuse University. Dr Tabatabai has published a dozen books on the history of political ideas in Europe and Iran. On 14 July 1995, he was decorated as a Knight of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques.

Tabatabai's ideas about modernity have similarities with the nation-building policies of Pahlavi era in Iran. This has infuriated those who advocate decentralization and more autonomy for ethnical minorities (estimated to constitute close to 38% of Iranian population). His most recent interview has caused heated debates in political circles.