Rami Regavim
Ph.D. Candidate (ABD)
regavim@sas.upenn.edu
Education
B.A. in Middle Eastern History, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Fields
History of the Modern Middle East, History of Iran, History of Drugs, Economic History, Jewish History
Research Interests
The history of drugs; addiction and rehabilitation; economic history; Modernization during the Qajar period.
Dissertation Topic
"The Most Sovereign of Masters: The Modern History of Opium in Iran, 1850-1955"
Dissertation Committee
Personal Statement
My work considers the rise and fall of 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. I'm also interested in the larger questions of drugs scholarship regarding drug addiction, drug policy, the legal status of drugs, etc.
