Political Sociology
Pegah Kheirollahi; Hamid Dehghani; hamid nassaj
Abstract
The Islamic revolution in Iran, as one of the steps in the democratization process has been studied in many different aspects however there are no studies that have concentrated on its state-society relations. This article was done to study state relations from 1963 to 1979 by the historical institutionalism ...
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The Islamic revolution in Iran, as one of the steps in the democratization process has been studied in many different aspects however there are no studies that have concentrated on its state-society relations. This article was done to study state relations from 1963 to 1979 by the historical institutionalism method. At first, the most important events in the mentioned period were reviewed and the mode of interaction between the state and society was studied then the historical institutionalism method and casual and temporal relations of social and political events were determined. The results of the research have shown that at the beginning of the revolution process (1963), the state was powerful however confrontational policies of the state during many years, caused that after the Black Friday event in Iran, despite the state tried to make the political arena freer, the society used that opportunity against the state until its overcoming on the state.
Political Science
Fatemeh Taherkhani
Abstract
IntroductionEvery significant social revolution, in addition to the diverse array of physical and objective events and actions (e.g., marches, armed conflicts, exile, and slogans), also encompasses intellectual dimensions. Not an exception in this regard, the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran originated ...
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IntroductionEvery significant social revolution, in addition to the diverse array of physical and objective events and actions (e.g., marches, armed conflicts, exile, and slogans), also encompasses intellectual dimensions. Not an exception in this regard, the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran originated from the longstanding philosophical, historical, and civilizational tradition of Islamic Iran, particularly the Shia political thought. This philosophical tradition served as the foundation for the production of various political texts and speeches, each with distinct functions but sharing the common goal of overthrowing the oppressive regime. As a notable form of political discourse and speech during the Revolution, the disclosing discourse would critically examine the status quo in the most explicit manner possible, challenging the legitimacy of the ruling power. The present study aimed to explore the relations and characteristics of the texts belonging to different periods and harboring the disclosing discourse. It also intended to see when and by whom similar texts and speeches had been produced throughout history. The research also sought to examine the political relations and power dynamics they represented as well as the actions they celebrated and foregrounded, or condemned and marginalized.Materials and MethodsTo identify common philosophical and theological roots of the disclosing discourse, the present study used Ruth Wodak’s Discourse–Historical Approach (DHA) which inclusively analyzes the contextual similarities among texts of a specific discourse. DHA offers an in-depth analysis of the inner context of a text, employing conceptual tools for examining a text at the levels of word, sentence, and the whole structure. DHA focuses on identifying discursive strategies, as well as implicit and explicit implications of the text. Wodak’s critical and meta-descriptive approach empowers researchers to delve into the concealed and underlying layers of a text, potentially revealing the intertextual relations between various texts. Moreover, Wodak’s historical perspective and her emphasis on historicism can help overcome the shortcomings of the post-structuralistic analysis caused by overlooking historical background and context. DHA takes into account the relationship between the text and the political conditions of its production, ultimately providing a predictive description of the situation, the actors involved, and the factors behind specific actions.Results and DiscussionThe research aimed to uncover the shared philosophical and theological features among the texts produced in different periods that harbored the disclosing discourse. According to the research results, the shared features include:Applying various delegitimization methods by the speakerAdopting a holistic approach, avoiding foregrounding a specific social cast, and showcasing the diversity of regime dissidentsPrioritizing rational arguments over emotionalism and mythicismCreating a historical vision and depicting the struggle between right and wrongMaking political identification and setting limits or othering foreign powersExtending the struggle from the political field to the social spherePresenting a bright prospectUndermining the image of the regime’s bureaucratic and military structureExplaining the physical and symbolic violence perpetrated by the regimeThe words associated with the disclosing discourse would convey a definite truth, not a constructed political mentality nor a merely political conflict over power. This discourse could serve as a manifestation of the prevailing truth within the political field, representing all dissatisfied individuals across various sections of society. In the contemporary history of Iran, the same truth had partially surfaced through expressions of liberty, anti-despotism, independence, and anti-colonialism. However, it was during the Islamic Revolution that the same truth came to the forefront in its entirety.ConclusionIt seems that the disclosing discourse occurs in times of erosion of political stability; when there is disequilibrium and disorder within the political milieu, primarily resulting from the collapse of one order and the failure to establish another. The identity constructed through the disclosing discourse is interdiscursive, absorbing elements from different discourses and reconfiguring them internally. Historical discourses such as independence, freedom, justice, anti-colonialism, and anti-despotism are integral to the disclosing discourse. This kind of discourse accentuates its broad acceptability and social base to socialize the constructed identity. Additionally, it does not differentiate or discriminate its diverse and pluralistic followers, urging all to unite against prevailing power structures.
Political Sociology
Mohsen Mohammadi Khanghahi; Abbas Keshavarz Shokri; Gafari Zahed
Abstract
IntroductionSocial dissatisfaction in Iran, particularly over the past decade, has been widespread and profound, as confirmed by national surveys. A review of the last four decades reveals the emergence of social discontent and political unrest in various manifestations and at different times. In certain ...
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IntroductionSocial dissatisfaction in Iran, particularly over the past decade, has been widespread and profound, as confirmed by national surveys. A review of the last four decades reveals the emergence of social discontent and political unrest in various manifestations and at different times. In certain instances, such as in 2009, the protests have posed a threat to the survival and stability of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Indeed, an analysis of the frequency and duration of social protests demonstrates the growth and prevalence of social dissatisfaction within Iranian society.Social dissatisfaction can manifest itself through apathy and non-participation, as seen in the decline in political participation during the Islamic Council and presidential elections in in the recent decade, particularly in 2019 and 2021. A review of relevant research shows a lack of deep insight and comprehensive understanding of social dissatisfaction as a multi-faceted issue in Iran, which can be a major obstacle to insightful policymaking for successful and cost-effective management of social dissatisfaction.The present research aimed to analyze and elucidate the underlying factors that contribute to social dissatisfaction, and subsequently develop strategies for effectively managing and mitigating the issue within Iranian society. The objective can ultimately enhance the efficiency of the decision-making process and policymaking in order to effectively address social dissatisfaction and protests. Accordingly, the main research questions are: What are the causal factors underlying social dissatisfaction in the Islamic Republic of Iran? and what are the potential solutions to solve the issue?Materials and MethodsThe present research employed a mixed methods research design. The documentary analysis method was utilized to examine and analyze various perspectives and approaches, as well as to investigate the evolution of the phenomenon of social dissatisfaction in Iranian society. Moreover, the method of causal layered analysis (CLA) was used to analyze and explain the underlying causes that contribute to social dissatisfaction in Iran.This method incorporates the examination of four distinct layers: the litany, social/systemic causes, discourse/worldview, and myth/metaphor. The litany layer represents the surface level, encompassing the most evident and objective aspects of the future. The social/systemic layer involves exploring the technological, social, economic, historical, political, and environmental causes associated with the subject matter. The discourse layer encompasses efforts to comprehend linguistic, cultural, and social structures that shape and pertain to the future. Lastly, the myth/metaphor layer delves into the investigation and exploration of schemas, mental images, and underlying narratives.The researchers collected the data by administering an open semi-structured questionnaire to a total of 10 experts. The collected data was subjected to review by 5 additional experts, who were asked to confirm the identified causes and related factors with the ultimate aim of ensuring the validity and reliability of the data. Based on the degree of consensus and frequency, the identified causes were categorized into three levels: systemic, discursive, and metaphorical. Furthermore, the researchers developed scenarios of social dissatisfaction by sharing the collected data with 5 experts, who were requested to envision future dissatisfaction scenarios in the 2031 horizon across three categories: desirable, possible, and probable. Results and DiscussionAfter conducting a review of relevant literature and collecting insights from 10 experts, the present study examined and analyzed the causes and factors contributing to social dissatisfaction the Islamic Republic in three layers: systemic, discursive, and metaphorical. At the systemic level, various factors were identified and discussed, including the prevalence of poverty, increasing discrimination, widening class gap and increasing Gini coefficient, evolving societal lifestyles, widespread feelings of deprivation, unjust distribution of national resources, and unsustainable development, etc.In the discursive layer, various causes and factors were identified and analyzed, including the historical mistrust towards the political sphere, the duality of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Shia culture and thought, the modern thought and worldview, the discourse of transformation, the discourse of Western development, and the alienation of political governance, etc. Moving to the metaphorical/mythical layer, factors such as the portrayal of the government as a bandit in Iranian culture, the usurpation of power by the state, the metaphor of the Alavi government, and historical transformation-seeking were recognized and discussed as influential elements in the development of social dissatisfaction.Moreover, in accordance with expert opinions, three scenarios (desirable, possible, and probable) were formulated and constructed regarding the future of social dissatisfaction in Iran. In the desirable scenario, effective reformist measures and the realization of the right to protest would lead to a reduction in social dissatisfaction, putting protests within a legally recognized framework. In the possible scenario, considering the continuation and exacerbation of underlying causes of dissatisfaction, we would witness the accumulation of social dissatisfaction and the emergence of intermittent episodes of violent social protests. Finally, according to the probable scenario, civil disobedience would arise as a result of the prevailing security-focused approach and the rising costs of engaging in protests.ConclusionSocial dissatisfaction remains a significant issue in Iran, posing considerable challenges to political stability and national security. Effective policymaking and management concerning social dissatisfaction initially requires a comprehensive and accurate understanding of this complex issue. In this line, the present study used the CLA method as an effective approach to examine different causal layers and drivers and their impact on social dissatisfaction. The results indicated that the Islamic Republic of Iran aims to move towards its desired scenario, which involves reducing dissatisfaction and implementing a persuasive and systematic approach to managing social protests. However, given the current circumstances, attaining this scenario proves to be challenging. Instead, the possible scenario entails the continued accumulation of dissatisfaction and ongoing social protests, which will pose a significant challenge to the political stability of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Protests will be characterized by increased violence, potentially leading the political system to adopt a hard approach in suppressing and managing social unrest. This, in turn, may exacerbate radicalism and further fuel social dissatisfaction. The probable scenario, characterized by intermittent and costly protests as well as civil disobedience, presents an alternative outlook for the future of social dissatisfaction. In this scenario, social dissatisfaction manifests itself through intermittent protests that occur at various intervals and in response to specific events. As social dissatisfaction continues to evolve and persist, some citizens may resort to civil disobedience and divergence from official values and norms.
hasan naserkhaki; Ali Morshedizad
Abstract
Given the significance of the Islamic Revolution role-playing and increasing importance of the role of new social movements in the world arena, the present paper investigates the relations between new social movements and the Islamic Revolution and the effect of these movements on the promotion ...
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Given the significance of the Islamic Revolution role-playing and increasing importance of the role of new social movements in the world arena, the present paper investigates the relations between new social movements and the Islamic Revolution and the effect of these movements on the promotion of the Islamic Revolution in the world arena. The research requires examining mutual relations between new social movements and the Islamic Revolution. Therefore, according to Alain Touraine’s theoretical basics about new social movements and using a qualitative method, this paper comparatively studied components of identity in the Islamic Revolution and the Environmental movement as one of the new social movements in the world arena. It also extracted, compared, and examined the relations between these movement-stimulant components using categorization and encoding techniques. According to the findings of this study, it can be said that the Islamic Revolution has an identity beyond environmental movement. However, there is no contradiction between their components and therefore there is an overlap between the Islamic Revolution and environmental movement in the world arena.
Mohamad Radmard; Adel Faryabi; Ali Azarimoghadam
Abstract
The Islamic revolution of Iran as a social revolution was a unique event. During this event, the Pahlavi dynasty collapsed after 53 years of ruling Iran. This study was conducted to investigate the reasons for the decline and collapse of this dynasty through different aspects. According to the limitations, ...
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The Islamic revolution of Iran as a social revolution was a unique event. During this event, the Pahlavi dynasty collapsed after 53 years of ruling Iran. This study was conducted to investigate the reasons for the decline and collapse of this dynasty through different aspects. According to the limitations, the researchers examined this issue from the viewpoint of the concept of patronage. Thus, the question in this study was that what effect the corruption had on the collapse and decline of the Pahlavi government. In this study, the researchers mentioned that patronage is one of the most important factors that led to popular protests against the government and led the Pahlavi regime to collapse. This paper uses the causal mechanism method (process tracking). The data was collected by the library research method. The focus of this research was on time and space constraints of Iran in the 1340s and 1350s.
Seyd Ebrahim Sarparast Sadat
Volume 3, Issue 11 , April 2015, , Pages 31-56
Abstract
Tradition has an undeniable entity in Iranian intellectual thinking. Authority and controversiality of the tradition is not necessarily due to its nature but it is caused by significant and influential position in societies possessing civilized and ancient history and rich thoughts. Although intellectuality ...
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Tradition has an undeniable entity in Iranian intellectual thinking. Authority and controversiality of the tradition is not necessarily due to its nature but it is caused by significant and influential position in societies possessing civilized and ancient history and rich thoughts. Although intellectuality requires Iranian intellectuals critically scrutinize and contemplate on tradition as one of the most influential factors of Iranian identity, politics and power and provide a situation for its proliferation but in practice it did not happen. Meanwhile, recognizing the evolution of the approaches toward tradition through investigating the ideas of Iranian intellectuals strengthens this hypothesis that amid the tradition-authority contest tradition has been source of self-awareness of Iranian intellectuality, self-awareness that inspired and caused Islamic Revolution of Iran and its continuity.
mahdi nazemi ardakani; mahdi davoodi; ahmad ali Emami
Volume 3, Issue 9 , February 2015, , Pages 9-26
Abstract
Islamic Revolution of Iran is one of the most important variables in recentdecades that have led to a new attitude towards Islam in the world. The CulturalRevolution is based on an approach to develop cultural convergence betweenIslamic communities in the world and believes that the most important factorsthat ...
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Islamic Revolution of Iran is one of the most important variables in recentdecades that have led to a new attitude towards Islam in the world. The CulturalRevolution is based on an approach to develop cultural convergence betweenIslamic communities in the world and believes that the most important factorsthat can make an internal coherence and consensus among Muslim nations arereligious commonalities and interactions among them. Hence, the call forIslamic unity based on divine teachings of Islam comes from the founder of theIslamic Revolution. This is the principle of monotheism, Islam, unity andsolidarity, justice and fighting oppression, etc., which is derived from Islam andIslamic ideology. Such ideas and ideals of leadership, Justice, and confrontingoppression, to achieve prosperity for all humans and the universal ideals ofIslam are a central focus of the Islamic Revolution.
