The Reflection of Modernity and Astonishment in Qajar-Period Iranians’ Travelogues

Modernity is one of the most crucial concepts that has been generating questions, challenges, and astonishment since the Qajar period. The expression of astonishment in travelogues written by Iranian travelers is highly noticeable. Employing a qualitative and historical-interpretative approach, the present study is grounded in a sympathetic understanding of the travel writer’s intentions, with an emphasis on the potential selection of the binary relationship between the travel writer and interpreter. Considering the poverty, misery, and underdevelopment of Iran during the Qajar period compared to developed Europe, a fundamental question arises: How did Iranian travelers observe, experience, and narrate modernity in Europe? The current study focuses on exploring modernity and astonishment in the travel books of Iranian travelers who visited Europe. In the morphology of modernity as progress, it manifested in the form of renovation, urbanization, and industrialization. A state of astonishment for the travelers manifested in envy, explicit praise, incredulity, and amazement. The roots of astonishment are interconnected with three areas: ideas, politics, as well as culture and society. At the margins of astonishment, a critical perspective was encountered in spheres of religion and ethics, as well as in international and military politics.