Sufim and the State in Iran, from the late Qajar Era to the Islamic Republic This study was conceived from an anthropological interest in contemporary Iranian society and culture and sympathy for Sufism, be it undefined and mediated through literature. I have remained a non-convert, however, which explains a distant perspective, seeking to chart long-term social and cultural change. Readers caring for the unbridled Sufi perspective are advised to consult Persian sources in the bibliography, or the ever-expanding Western forest of esoterica.