Iran in Motion: Mobility, Space, and the Trans-Iranian Railway by Mikiya Koyagi

Koyagi's work reveals that the Trans-Iranian Railway, beyond its role as a state-sponsored modernization project, fundamentally reshaped Iranian mobilities through embodied experiences and labor dynamics. The study broadens historical narratives by integrating diverse actors—local and foreign laborers, engineers, migrants, and travelers—demonstrating their pivotal contributions to the railway's materiality and societal impact. It highlights how the railway's construction and operation fostered capitalist mobility, while also examining the political agency of railway workers in negotiating rights and the cultural shifts in travel norms among ordinary Iranians.

Rashidbeigi, S. (2022). Iran in Motion: Mobility, Space, and the Trans-Iranian Railway by Mikiya Koyagi. Technology and Culture, 63(1), 280–282. https://doi.org/10.1353/tech.2022.0033