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Can Islamic societies embrace democracy? In Democracy in Modern Iran, Ali Mirsepassi maintains that it is possible, demonstrating that Islam is not inherently hostile to the idea of democracy. Rather, he provides new perspective on how such a political and social transformation could take place, arguing that the key to understanding the integration of Islam and democracy lies in concrete social institutions rather than pre-conceived ideas, the every day experiences rather than abstract theories. Mirsepassi, an Iranian native, provides a rare inside look into the country, offering a deep understanding of how Islamic countries like Iran and Iraq can and will embrace democracy.Democracy in Modern Iran challenges readers to think about Islam and democracy critically and in a far more nuanced way than is done in black-and-white dichotomies of Islam vs. Democracy, or Iran vs. the West. This essential volume contributes important insights to current discussions, creating a more complex conception of modernity in the Eastern world and, with it, Mirsepassi offers to a broad Western audience a more accurate, less clich?d vision of Iran’s political reality.
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Democracy in Modern Iran This page intentionally left blank Democracy in Modern Iran Islam, Culture, and Political Change Ali Mirsepassi NEW YORK UNIVERSIT Y PRESS New York and London NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London www.nyupress.org © 2010 by New York University All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mirsepassi, Ali. Democracy in modern Iran : Islam, culture, and political change / Ali Mirsepassi. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978–0–8147–9564–4 (cl : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0–8147–9564–1 (cl : alk. paper) 1. Iran—Politics and government. 2. Iran—Intellectual life. 3. Democracy—Iran. 4. Politics and culture—Iran. 5. Islam and politics—Iran. 6. Islam and secularism—Iran. 7. Islamic modernism—Iran. I. Title. DS318.825.M575 2010 320.955—dc22 2009049625 New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Acknowledgments vii Preface: “Where Is My Vote?” ix Introduction: Democracy and Culture 1 1 The Origins of Secularism in Europe 25 2 Modern Visions of Secularism 49 3 A Critical Understanding of Modernity 65 4 Intellectuals and Democracy 81 5 Religious Intellectuals 103 6 Alireza Alavi-Tabar and Political Change 125 7 The Predicaments of Iranian Public Intellectuals 149 8 An Intellectual Crisis in Iran 169 Conclusion: Modernity and Its Traditions 185 Notes 193 Index 205 About the Author 219 | v This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments In the writing of this book, I have received the help of a community of colleagues, friends, and students. While the core ideas and main vision defining this book are mine and reflect my intellectual interests and concerns, I could not have written the book without the intellectual and editorial help and support I have received from the many people who have participated in its development. More than anyone else, my longtime research assistant and editor, Tadd Fernée, has helped me in writing, editing, and setting down my ideas in a clear and elegant way. I would like to thank him and express my deep appreciation for his cons