Contrary to the common belief in certain segments of public opinion that the city of Arak played only a marginal role in the course of the Islamic Revolution, examination of existing documents and narratives shows that this city—like many others in Iran—had a noteworthy presence in the protests and activities preceding 1979. In particular, two groups—educators and academics—each, by making use of their professional capacities and social networks, helped shape part of the political, cultural, and social developments of this period.



Adopting a historical‑analytical approach and drawing on the theoretical frameworks of resource mobilization and social capital, this study examines the role of these two groups between 1971 and 1979. Data were collected and analyzed through archival documents (especially SAVAK reports), interviews with revolutionary activists, and library sources.



Findings indicate that educators, using schools as a platform, were active in organizing gatherings, nationwide strikes, and awareness‑raising cultural programs such as protest theater. Meanwhile, academics—including faculty members and students of the Arak Higher School of Sciences—played a facilitative and organizing role for the youth by forming Islamic associations, holding book and photo exhibitions, reproducing and distributing leaflets, and turning the university into a starting point for citywide demonstrations.



Cooperation and synergy between these two groups, though not unparalleled on the national level, created a local linkage between educational protest movements and the public sphere of the city, thereby contributing, in its own measure, to the process that culminated in the victory of the Islamic Revolution.