Ram B. Regavim
Ph.D. Candidate (ABD)
regavim@sas.upenn.edu
Education
B.A. in Middle Eastern History, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Research Interests
Cultural and social history of the Middle East in general and particularly of Iran; Economic History of the Qajar period; History of drugs and drug diplomacy; Bio-ethical issues related to drug legislation.
Dissertation Topic
"The Most Sovereign of Masters: The Modern History of Opium in Iran, 1850-1955"
Dissertation Committee
Personal Statement
My work considers a century of large-scale opium production in Iran in the context of Iran's modernization period. I want to shed new light on Iran's modernization period through the story of opium, and challenge the usual narrative about the failure of Iran's modernization under the rule of the Qajar dynasty. In addition, I'm interested in the larger questions of global drug history, and the interrelations between drug scholarship and the shaping of drug policy.
