“One of the few works that looks seriously at Iranian Azerbaijan, Shaffer’s book is a major contribution to the history of both Iranian and Soviet nationality policies.”

- Ronald Grigor Suny, University of Chicago

“Shaffer’s book should be required reading for anyone seeking to understand today’s headlines from Tehran.”

- Richard Allen Greene, London School of Economics and Political Science

“Shaffer has captured the complicated cultural trends in modern Azerbaijani society on both sides of the Araz and offered an excellent framework in which to interpret those trends.”

- Camron Michael Amin, University of Michigan-Dearborn