Iranian Political Culture: a brief overview

1. Iranian Political Culture: a brief overview Legitimacy of the State Characteristics of Iranian Political Culture

2. Historical Roots of the Modern State • Persians and Greeks were two of the strongest civilizations from 6th century BC to 200 AD • Both Greeks and Persians conquered by Macedonians • Alexander the Great admired the Greek culture and spread it to areas he conquered • After, Persian sovereigns were hereditary military leaders • The Importance of Shiism • Little political unity during 7th to 16th centuries in modern-day Iran • Region suffered invasions and Arabs brought Islam to area • Religion became the glue that held area together • Even when Mongols invaded in 13th century, Islam remained rooted in region’s culture • Shiism was established as the state’s religion in the 16th century by Ismail, the founder of the Safavid Empire

3. Legitimacy in the Modern State • Authoritative rulers have continued to play a prominent role in Iranian history • Pahlavi shahs ruled from 1925-1979 • Attempts at secularization were defeated when Shah fled from power in 1979 • The Revolution of 1979 anchored Iran in Shiite principles • The Constitution of 1979 legitimizes the state • Preamble reflects importance of religion and legitimacy: • Faith, God, Divine Justice, Koran, Prophet Muhammad are all mentioned

4. Conflicting Ideas in the Modern State • Conflicting Ideas: sovereignty of the people and clerical rule have created a crisis of legitimacy • Reformers came to the forefront during Khatami’s presidency (1997-2005) • Reforms ended when conservative Ahmadinejab elected in 2005 • Today- even in a theocracy reformers and conservatives debate for power and influence • Iran: a Dream of Democracy

5. Political Culture: Multi-faceted w/ complex history • Authoritarianism, but not Totalitarianism: • Even with Safavid Empire, not all facets of people’s lives controlled • People paid attention to local leaders • Union of Political and Religious Authority • Religious and political leaders were often the same, even in Persian times • Religion and politics were separated for a time, but brought back together in 1979

6. Political Culture Cont’ • Shiism and Sharia as Central Components: • 90% of all Iranians identify themselves as Shiite • Sharia law (Islamic Law) is important in that it emphasizes legitimacy of government • Escape from European Colonization: • Iran, although influenced by foreign powers, has never been colonized by them • Geographic Limitations: • Much of Iranian land space is unusable for agriculture • Vast desert plain and mountains to the north and northeast • Lack of usable land led early Persians to seek better lands thru expansion and conquest • Population of Iran is unevenly distributed today, most live in cities and in the northwest

7. Denser population in northwest

8. Political Culture Cont’ • The Influence of Ancient Persia: • Differences between Iran and its neighbors go beyond religion • Persian heritage and culture still remain in tact • Strong Sense of Iranian Nationalism: • Public opinion polls show Iran with a stronger sense of nationalism, as opposed to its Arab neighbors • People tend to identify themselves as Persians first, and Muslims second