Authority and Political Culture in Shi'ism

Authority and Political Culture in Shi'ism

Author: Saïd Amir Arjomand

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 1988-07-08

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 079149523X

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The major theme of this book is authority in Shi`ism with special emphasis on its institutionalization in different historic periods from the beginning of Shi`ism in the Middle Ages to the present. Part I presents new material on important or neglected issues that are at the center of current scholarly debate, including the fundamental relationship between knowledge and authority in pristine Shi`ism, aspects of popular culture in medieval Shi`ism, the institutionalization of religious authority in Shi`ite Iran from the 16th to 18th centuries, and the centralization of religious authority in the 19th century. The editor provides an analysis of the ideological revolution in Shi`ism during the 1970s and 1980s. Important documents and primary sources have been selected for Part II representing the major trends in the history of Shi`ism. With two exceptions, these sources have neither been available in English translation nor easily accessible in the original Arabic or Persian. An extensive introduction by the editor effectively connects Parts I and II of the book.


Shi'ism, Resistance, And Revolution

Shi'ism, Resistance, And Revolution

Author: Martin Kramer

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-05-28

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1000311430

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The recent revival of interest in the Muslim world has generated numerous studies of modern Islam, most of them focusing on the Sunni majority. Shi'ism, an often stigmatized minority branch of Islam, has been discussed mainly in connection with Iran. Yet Shi'i movements have been extraordinarily effective in creating political strategies that have


Democracy in Iran

Democracy in Iran

Author: Ali Gheissari

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2009-07-24

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 0195396960

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In this book, Ali Gheissari and Vali Nasr look at the political history of Iran in the modern era, and offer an in-depth analysis of the prospects for democracy to flourish there. After having produced the only successful Islamist challenge to the state, a revolution, and an Islamic Republic, Iran is now poised to produce a genuine and indigenous democratic movement in the Muslim world. Democracy in Iran is neither a sudden development nor a western import, and Gheissari and Nasr seek to understand why democracy failed to grow roots and lost ground to an autocratic Iranian state.


Essays on Shi‘ism and Iran

Essays on Shi‘ism and Iran

Author: Hamid Algar

Publisher: ICAS Press

Published: 2021-01-01

Total Pages: 505

ISBN-13: 1907905537

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A pioneer in the study of Shi‘ism and contemporary Iran, Hamid Algar’s work is marked by precise attention to detail, a near-unparalleled grasp of languages, and a forthright honesty. Thus he offers scholarship, a key to understanding Shi‘ism, Iran, and the Revolution as relevant today as it was when the essays were first written. Rather than projecting Shi‘ism as a historical monolith, this book takes the reader on a journey through the developments in Shi‘ism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, discussing the debates over religious authority and modern political technologies. Rooting the development of the Revolution in a broader historical context, it also offers biographies of key revolutionary figures and explores ideological challenges faced by the nascent Islamic Republic, such as matters of war and social justice. Throughout the book, mysticism and politics intertwine; not only does the characteristically Shi‘i form of mysticism – ‘irfan – figure heavily in this work, but some sections are devoted to the relationship between the Shi‘i Imams and the Sunni Sufi orders, as well as the place of Sufism in Shi‘ism. Lastly, Hamid Algar provides sound, thought-provoking analyses of contemporary scholarship in the study of Shi‘ism, including the works of Henry Corbin and Patricia Crone. This book contains something for anyone with an interest in history, Shi‘ism, Iran, or the Islamic Revolution.


Law, State, and Society in Modern Iran

Law, State, and Society in Modern Iran

Author: H. Enayat

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2013-07-17

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1137282029

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Using a 'Historical Institutionalist' approach, this book sheds light on a relatively understudied dimension of state-building in early twentieth century Iran, namely the quest for judicial reform and the rule of law from the 1906 Constitutional Revolution to the end of Reza Shah's rule in 1941.


The Iranian Constitutional Revolution and the Clerical Leadership of Khurasani

The Iranian Constitutional Revolution and the Clerical Leadership of Khurasani

Author: Mateo Mohammad Farzaneh

Publisher: Syracuse University Press

Published: 2015-03-13

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 0815653115

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The Iranian Constitutional Revolution was the twentieth century’s first such political movement in the Middle East. It represented a landmark in Iranian history because of the unlikely support it received from Shi‘ite clerics who historically viewed Western concepts with suspicion, some claiming constitutionalism to be anti-Islamic. Leading the support was Muhammad Kazim Khurasani, the renowned Shi‘ite jurist who conceived of a supporting role for the clergy in a modern Iranian political system. Drawing on extensive analysis of religious texts, fatwas, and articles written by Khurasani an other pro- and anti-constitutionalists, Farzaneh provides a comprehensive and illuminating interpretation of Khurasani’s religious pragmatism. Despite some opposition from his peers, Khurasani used a form of jurisprudential reasoning when creating shari‘a that was based on human intellect to justify his support of not only the Iranian parliament but also the political powers of clerics. He had a reputation across the Shi‘ite community as a masterful religious scholar, a skillful teacher, and a committed humanitarian who heeded the people’s socioeconomic and political grievances and took action to address them. Khurasani’s push for progressive reforms helped to inaugurate a new era of clerical involvement in constitutionalism in the Middle East.


The Iranian Constitutional Revolution, 1906-1911

The Iranian Constitutional Revolution, 1906-1911

Author: Janet Afary

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 488

ISBN-13: 9780231103503

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During the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1906 to 1911 a variety of forces played key roles in overthrowing a repressive regime. Afary sheds new light on the role of ordinary citizens and peasantry, the status of Iranian women, and the multifaceted structure of Iranian society.


Iran Divided

Iran Divided

Author: Shireen T. Hunter

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2014-09-17

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1442233206

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Iranian politics has been marked by sharp ideological divisions and infighting. These divides, kept largely out of public view until the 1990s, came to greater light with the contested 2009 presidential elections. To explain the diverse and complex forces that led to this event and that animate Iran’s current fractured society and polity, author Shireen T. Hunter looks beyond the battle between the forces of reform and reaction, democracy and dictatorship, and considers the historic forces that created the conditions faced by Iran since the revolution. Iran Divided: The Historic Roots of Iranian Debates on Identity, Culture, and Governance in the 21st Century explains historical and political factors and their relevance to Iran today, shedding light on the forces behind Iranian politics and society. This book discusses: historical roots of Iran’s current divisions and debates; Iran versus Islam; secularism versus religion; constitutionalism versus Islamic government; fundamental issues of identity, culture, and governance; aging of the revolutionary coalition; development of new elites; experiences of the Islamic republic; and new international conditions moving the country beyond old divides and ideological rifts toward a new national consensus. A comprehensive survey, the book will be an indispensable tool to any student seeking to understand the Islamic Republic of Iran and its standing in the world today.