Copyright© 2020Armaan Sahgal protests against the fail to yield to address following the question: why did orclergy . As such, paper this seeks antry, and support 2)the of religious the to two factors: support 1) the of peas the successthe of protest inIran inrelation 1979Revolution.the examining be I will lution and role the of religion in causing conceptiontween aclass-based of revo such phenomena by bridging gap the be paper Thisseeks to demistify struggle. of revolution as culmination the of class put under question Marxian the notion intocountry throngs the of religiosity and ingly alone as arevolution that took a an aura of unfamiliarity. It stands seem contempt and confusion underscored by Anglophonethe world with amixture of place inIran in1979is often in viewed Introduction Sahgal Armaan Late 1800sand Early 1900sversus 1979 Protest Politics inIran: The IslamicRevolution that took - - - - and Ulama the made it possible for the levelthe of support among peasantry the specifically, I would like to address how Qajar yet in1979?More succeed Dynasty a significant impactthroughout thelate on role the of Ulama the inproviding a portion of paper, the specifically Ifocus throughtics aMarxian lens. In second the to success the of of acts contentious poli analyzing importance the of peasantry the outcomethe of contentious events inIran, rolethe of class relations indetermining to paper. this Thesectionfocuses on first study, there are two substantial sections Mirroring two-pronged the nature of this ma are religious the and scholars. bility, nor business owners, Ula the whilst arewho neither royal, nor aristocratic no fined hereportionthe populationas the of and centuries. 20th is de peasantry The chy despite prior failures late inthe 19th 1979 Revolution to overthrow monar the - - - - - 69 ISSUE XII | 70 NMC JOURNAL | that industrialization is accompanied and of isview history centred on notion the of class conflict. ian lens, conceptualizing interms history contextthe of class warfare from a Marx in contentious claim-making inIran in analyze paperthis peasantry’s will the role tious Claim-Making Tilly, Marx, Methodology: and Conten dynasty failed. contentious action under late the Qajar abolishing monarchy the whereas similar enabled 1979Revolution the to in succeed support and Ulama the of peasantry the against monarchy, the arealignment inthe featured of acts contentious claim-making of protest. As such, Iargue that both while drawing largely on Charles Tilly’s concept tious claim-making context inthe of , mobilizing structure for of acts conten ent 41, In Iranian Politics 1905‐1953,” 2 (2005): 3. International,” tion, State Formation and Absence the of the 1 nasty. to installationled the of Pahlavi the Dy monarchical state as opposedto arepublic antry’s demand for maintenance the of a Coup was to arepublic, install peas the overthrown.ty While of goal initial the the Persian Coup d’État saw Qajar the Dynas aftermath the Firstof World War,the 1921 tion were successful. only In partially the ataristocracy dawn the of industrializa of contentious claim-making against the Iranian context, however, bourgeois acts “Proletariansuccessful revolution.” lution” that is subsequently followed by a driven by “Bourgeois asuccessful revo 2 no. 1(1968):202. The secondportion The paper,this of As first the section of discussed, Ervand Abrahamian, Ervand Crowd “The Teschke, Benno “Bourgeois Revolu Historical Materialism Materialism Historical 1 The traditional The Marxian Past and Pres 13, no. 2 1 In the ------as apivotal mobilizing structure for of acts andtics an analysis of role the of religion Marxian analysis of Iranian protest poli Iran. Through amixture of a class-centric for of acts contentious claim making in mostthe important mobilizing structure on account of organized religion’s role as cant influence overthe success of such acts Secondly, that Ulama the exercises signifi related with support the of peasantry. the claim-making inIran has historically cor ly, that success the of of acts contentious ant and interconnected findings. First portions of paper this yield two import contextthe of Middle the East outlinesexecuted, asin Amina Elbendary tentious and episodes performances to be Ulama inproviding structure the for con uniquethe role historically played by the pass Medievalin the Middle East,” 4 Press, 2013), 5. mances 3 to failed establishDynasty arepublic. anti-Monarchist protests late in the Qajar Revolutionthe of while 1979succeeded is identifiedthewhy as reason primary timents of two segments of populace the cess of such Thus, acts. sen a the shift in andantry Ulama to the suc the is crucial I demonstrate that support the of peas the contentious claim-making country, inthe context of Iran. vand Abrahamian specific inthe so does of other parties. make “claims that on” bear interests the contentious claim making wherein parties test and revolutionary politics of as acts in Charles Tilly’s conceptualization of pro analyzing role the of Ulama, the is rooted 16, no. 2(2018). (Cambridge: Cambridge University Amina Elbendary, “Popular Politics Charles Tilly, 2 The two analysisthese in 3 This section centressection This on Contentious Perfor Contentious History Com History 4 and as Er ------Literature Review Literature an Politics 1905‐1953,” 180. 5 of class consciousness that accompanied 1979Revolution,the rise the describes Abrahamian, before writing decade inthe tude of ways by differentscholars. Ervand test construed politics in a multi has been and Ulama the peasantry inIranian pro lateder the Qajar dynasty had failed. chy where similar contentious actionun lution to inabolishing succeed monar the Ulama ultimately enabled 1979Revo the supportin the and the of peasantry the substantiate thesis that the a realignment ry.three lines These of research are to used portance of role the played by peasant the Teschkesuch as Benno to analyze im the analyses outlined by Marxist the scholars Ulama inIranian protest politics and class roleanalyse structural the played by the structures drawn from Charles Tilly to contentious claim-making and mobilizing nasty. that took place during late the Qajar Dy an characterizes as pre-industrial protests olution and failure the of what Abrahami causes success the behind of 1979Rev the claimsthe made by such sources as to the of contentious claim-making, it evaluates Ulamathe in determining outcome the lyze importance the and of peasantry the Karen Rasler. Secondly, in order to ana stone, Peter Theda Skocpol, and Seeberg, Abrahamian,such as Ervan Jack Gold inquestion)time-periods from authors claim-making inIran unfolded at two the and how different instances of contentious dataical (i.e. structure basic the of events, oftypes sources. Firstly, it draws on empir 5 Thirdly, it incorporates ideas on Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani The literature the on role the of This analysis centres threeon ------of arepublicCoup afterthe 1921 d’État. loyalist Ulama avoided establishment the “Shah and ” counter-protests by led supported by Goldstone’s that observation of macy religious leadership, is partially protests. Ulamathe as key to success the of those leadership of Khomeini and by Goldstone emphasizes visionary the country.the Ulama as integral to protest politics in facilitated counter-protests, placing the monarchythe with royal those while ties marketplace) facilitated protests against toties business interests inthe during late the Qajar dynasty, Ulama with cance to role the of Ulama, the noting that tarian class. Abrahamian gives also signifi of a rapidly industrializing nation’s prole and livelihoods agricultural rural to those intereststheir as aresult offrom shift the andtransformationthe on specifically of significance the on role peasantry,the of protests. Qajar-erabetween and late 20 of World War Two as akey distinction of rise wagethe labour aftermath inthe Studies mation,” olution, 1977–79: Interaction and Transfor 9 Univ a Very Short Introduction 8 7 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 202. 6 up run inthe to Islamic the Dynasty Rev allocation of concessions by Pahlavi the inconsistentthe of use repression and the Shah.the nation’s wealth to classessupported who Revolution of 1979on diversion the of the argument for success the of Islamic the on other the hand,Seeberg, centres his ersity Press, 2014),101. 41, no. 4(2014) British Journal of Middle Eastern 8 6 Peter Seeberg, “The PeterIranian “The Rev Seeberg, Jack A.Goldstone, R Ibid., 196. Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Thisview, emphasizingthe pri This notion particular places 9 Similarly, argues Rasler that 7 Acompeting posited view : 485. (Oxford: Oxford evolutions: bazaar th century - - (or - - - - - 7

71 ISSUE XII | 72 NMC JOURNAL | tocratic nobility, nor business owners (i.e. population is which neither royal, nor aris that is portionpeasantry 1979. The the of and IslamicDynasty the Revolution of monarchy end the of between Qajar the peasantry’sin the sentiments towards the to exploreseeks is general the realignment The Support of the Peasantry nasty had little success incomparison. against Shah the during late the Qajar dy abolishedfully monarchy protests whilst revolution explain why latter the success Qajar dynasty and up run the to 1979 the two these factorsshiftthelate in between that of Ulama, the essay this posits that a supportthesis, the and of peasantry the analyzing two the factors outlined inthe to avariety of conclusions on topic. the In downfall. olution credited can be with regime’s the and Society Shi’a Islam Iranian in the Revolution,” 11 no. 1(1996):132. Revolution,” pression, and Political Protest Iranian inthe 10 shift ideological amongstpeasantry.the actors expropriating resources, to led an andits reliant citizenry instead on foreign ofrise arentier state disconnected from by industrialization, combined with the that changing the class dynamics caused ”. y m o “the of world the rythms capitalist econ from its populace and instead aligned with a “rentier absolutist state” disconnected developmentthe of what terms Skocpol before proceedingry with an analysis of over twentieth peasantry the the centu ofan class the overview transformation of bourgeoisie).the beginswith section This

11 Ultimately, illustrates section this Theda Theda Skopcol, “Rentier State and Karen Rasler, “Concessions, Re The first phenomenon this paper 10 11, no. 3(1982):269. Ultimately, scholars have come American Sociological Review American Review Sociological Theory Theory - 61, - - - - - al terms, the peasantry saw no reason terms,al peasantry the to lenders, and merchants.” as a “revolution of shopkeepers, money gain from what Abrahamian describes wealthythe inthe anti-Monarchist protests out of “dislike for at time, this opposedsuch pre-industrial antry, alargely population agricultural tests. were known to participate insuch pro and apprentices of early this bourgeoisie ness-owners inthe monarchythe were commonly by led busi early twentieth centuries, protests against successthe of protest inIran. support correlates of peasantry the with Shah. In eras, affirming both thesis, the the bourgeoisie reliant on patronage from the andtarianizing opposedby peasantry the olution was supported by prole newly the opposed by peasantry, the 1979 Rev the (2005): 5. International,” tion, State Formation and Absence the of the 14 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 195. 13 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 193. 12 composed primarily of peasants took to was monarchist formally deposed, crowds lic emerged in1924as Qajar the Dynasty prospect of establishment the of arepub to capitalism. formerthe intent on removing obstacles ing bourgeois class and nobility the with “growing class antagonism” aris between towards abourgeois revolution, defined by support and were to hostile build the up proto-bourgeoisie of Iran’s was supportedjar Dynasty by wealthy the ing monarchy inIran during late the Qa Whereas early contentious action oppos

11 However, majority the of peas the Benno Teschke, Benno “Bourgeois Revolu Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani late the During nineteenth and Historical Materialism Historical 14 Consequently, the when bazaar bazaar 13 In more gener ” and saw little . 12 bazaar Employees 13, no. 2 s and ------thronement of Shah. Reza building, eventually leading to en the streetsthe and stormed Parliament the an Politics 1905‐1953,” 202. 19 Islam Iranian inthe Revolution,” 269. 18 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 203. 17 national,” 173. State Formation and Absence the of Inter the 16 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 188. 15 samethe time, bourgeoisie the adopted an creasingly proletarianized peasantry. Iran’s resources, alienating further in the himself with Western nations interested in byterized Shah the increasingly alligning on its own citizenry. petrodollars for revenue than taxes levied ment grew more reliant on and exports absolutist state” under govern the which opment of what terms Skocpol a“rentier exacerbated was by further devel the ry gressive proletarianization of peasant the transformation engendered by pro the ti-Monarchist stance. unionstrade that took an increasingly an state—thus leading to formation the of anddistinctly class-based at with the odds beganidentifying interests their they as professions towards wage labour. As such, fromand agricultural rural peasantry letarianization meant ashift amongthe proletarianization. of industrialization for peasants was their industrialization. The major implication Iranian economy underwent significant Second afterthe pecially World War,the Qajar Dynasty. anti-Monarchist movements of late the factor failure inthe of bourgeois-led the of support from peasanty the was apivotal

Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Skocpol. “Rentier State and Shi’a Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Teschke, “Bourgeois Revolution, Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Over the next few decades, es next the few decades, Over 16 The process of pro 17 18 The distinct class This was charac 15 Thus,thelack 19 At At ------course of 20 the Shah to asituation alargely inwhich pro peasants largely remaining loyal to the in the pinned byfrom shift the business interests up to Revolution the of 1979was under Qajar dynasty and leading decades the tentious politics in Iran late the between byported wealthy business owners. latethe Qajar were which Dynasty sup dustrial anti-Monarchist protests during bourgeoisie. This contrastswith pre-in and opposedby peasantry tarianized the was largely supported by prole newly the supporters, Islamic the Revolution of 1979 quentbase of monarchysocial the shift in creasing foreign-alignment and subse the Monarchy.the As aresult of Shah’s the in makeup of supporters and opponents of there was areversal socio-economic inthe resources such as oil to West. the accumulated from of sale the national tionate and uneven amount of wealth the by ensuring that received they adispropor Shahthe rewarded elites for support their increasingly pro-Monarchist worldview as an Politics 1905‐1953,” 184. 21 tion,” 485. tion, 1977–79:Interaction and Transforma 20 alternatingly rewarding with them con by inconsistently peasantry ianised and bated tensions proletar with newly the Monarchistthe regime, Shah the exacer es. Furthermore, duringdays final the of ingly dominated by proletarian the mass pre-industrial project of wealthy businessowners inthe monarchythe thus morphed from pet the geois interests remained loyal. tious action against bour Shah the while supported conten peasantry letarianized

bazaar Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Iranian “The Revolu Seeberg, Ultimately, evolution the of con against monarchy the with bazaar th century, opposition to into a cause increas 21 Over the the Over 20 Thus, ------73 ISSUE XII | 74 NMC JOURNAL | equally indispensableequally mobilizing struc munication and leadership”) provided an (i.e. “networks of Islamic religious com tions underpinning communal life inIran a coordinated manner, traditional institu to manifestof peasantry the themselves in as points Skocpol out, for grievances the contentious claim Nevertheless, making. ble determinant of success the of an of act identified canantry be as an indispensi interests. Thus,the support peas the of Shahthe and bourgeois classes’ economic increasinglythe foreign-aligned nature of tarianising and and urbanising) peasantry nomic interests of (increasingly the prole Iran and attributed to changes eco inthe installment of Khan as Shah the Reza of it up run hadinthe to to failed the doso in abolishing monarchy the in1979where enabling success the of contentious action dissent. cessions and using brutal force to suppress Islam Iranian inthe Revolution,” 271. 23 tion,” 132. and Political Protest Iranian inthe Revolu 22 to a decisively republican one. Ultimate from afundamentally monarchist stance Iranian protest politics, identifying ashift address role the played by Ulama the in on Iran inparticular. It proceeds then to as aregionEast before narrowing to focus by extension of Ulama, the Middle in the of significance the overview of Islam, and beginswithcursory tests. a section This successthe of protests and counterpro sive force inIranian society, inenabling more generally that of Islam as aperva essaythis is role the of Ulama, the and The Support Ulama of the ture.

23 22 This changecanbe credited with Skocpol, “Rentier State and Shi’a Rasler, “Concessions, Repression, The secondThe factor examined in ------’s house ruling House (the of state in maintaining its power. empowering for allies the as them crucial putes across urban settings and alike, rural state and individuals and for private dis uponlied as mediators the between both Ulama the asserts, wereAs re Elbendary contentious claim-making region. inthe ly played role a crucial process in the of mosque as an institution have historical religious officials (i.e. theUlama) the and of is extent Middlethe the East to which establishment of an . institutionthe of monarchy to the seeking transitionlogical from supportive being of ofpolicies Shah, the underwent an ideo Iran’s Ulama, increasingly alienated by the Pahlavi 1979Revolution), (inthe Dynasty (in1924)and ofjar fall Dynasty the Iran. Secondly, of fall the Qa the between or failure of contentious claim making in factora vital indetermining success the support (or opposition) of Ulama the is but deeply intertwined Firstly, ideas. the ly, demonstrates section this two distinct 2005), 193. Democratization Contestation, Pluralism, Politics: Muslim ing and Belonging inSaudi Arabia,” in Civility through Nationalism: Reformist Islam 25 Medieval Middle East,” 2 24 mer dependent on latter the for legitimacy biosis” two the sides,with for the between points out, allianceis this an “uneasy sym bia’s ). Wahhabithe branch of Islam (Saudi Ara mad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, founder the of by of virtue descent their from Muham dominate religious offices the in country alliance with House the of Shaykh, who Saud) is dependent for its power on an

Gwenn Okruhlik, “EmpoweringGwenn Okruhlik, Elbendary, “Popular Politics inthe A key defining characteristic (Princeton University Press, 25 As Gwenn Okruhlik Gwenn Okruhlik As 24 Remak Similarly, ------(between the late the (between 1800sand its overthrow power. and latter the dependent on former the for Islam Iranian inthe Revolution,” 274. 30 29 28 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 197. 27 Nationalism,"thorugh 193. 26 next inthe paragraph),discussed ma the throughout late the Qajar (as Dynasty on sidesof both anti-Monarchist protests powertralize country the and modernise power of Ulama the inan attempt to cen pursued aimed policies at weakening the ofdecades monarchy inIran, Shah the in Iran. However, during last the three collective expression of contentious claims a pivotaled mobilizing structure for the controlder their have historically provid Ulamathe and mosque the networks un Pahlavi Dynasty. public and to led his establishment of the halted his plans for formation the of are ultimately “Islam and Shah crowds” that nasty Coup inthe d’État of 1924, it was Khan overthrew Reza when Qajar the Dy ers, moneylenders, and merchants”, little gain from a“revolution of shopkeep Shah crowds” saw who for peasantry the of what Abrahamian terms “Islam and ligious mobilizing structure form inthe of Islam. monarchy is essential for preservation the sored Ulama, centred which on that idea and Shah” movement by led state-spon bazaar merchants (aproto-bourgeoisie) inthe face of protests organized by dissatisfied Ulamathe to bolster its inthe legitimacy monarchyin 1924),the similarly relied on

26 . Thisthe took form the of “Islam During the late the During Qajar Dynasty Skocpol, “Rentier State and Shi’a Ibid., 197. Ibid., 195. Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani "Empowering Okruhlik, Civility While Ulama the were significant 27 Crucially, provided this are

29 It is therefore clear that 28 and and - 30 ------

the Ulama,the who, owing to religious their illustrates thatallegiance the ashift in of religion.nized Consequently, section this ertoires inIranian protest politics: orga ing structure that dominates rep tactical translates into influence overthe mobiliz means that Ulama’s the religious influence elementunifying of Iran’s national identity contentious claims. repertoires to tactical use makewhich contentious performances and episodes, ly characterizes protest politics interms of oftype relationship with Ulama. the Pahlavi did not Dynasty maintain this wereDynasty largely state-sponsored, the monarchistthe Ulama under Qajar the with western interests. vation of Islamic values and aligned too him as anviewing obstacle to preser the ly orchestrated protests against Shah, the Ulamathe not only supported but active er, during Islamic the Revolution of 1979, conjunction with peasantry. the to establishment the of arepublic and in during early the 20 “Islam the ported and Shah” movement jority of religious the establishment sup Press, 2013). mances 34 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 197. 33 IntroductionShort 32 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 197. 31 counterprotests supporting monarchy the protests against monarchy the as well as course of late the Qajar Dynasty. olution as compared to protests over the impacted outcome the of 1979Rev the contentious claim making in Iran, directly power, exercise significant influence over

(Cambridge: Cambridge University Charles Tilly, Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Goldstone, Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani As Abrahamian outlines, both , 101. th 34 Revolutions: aVery century inopposition The role of Islam as a Contentious Perfor Contentious 32 In essence, where 31 Howev

33 Til ------75 ISSUE XII | 76 NMC JOURNAL | Khan's bid for encouraged Shah crowds” “Islamthe and and Ulama fluence the of ofguise establishing arepublic, in the Qajar the threw was under the Dynasty archy. the not have an interest commerce inthe of majoritythe of population, the did who populace assembled (i.e.which rural the hamian terms “Islam and Shah crowds” tributed to organization the of what Abra were ultimately more numerous and con state-sponsored elements of Ulama the on Ulama with state. the aligned ness-owners of the depending on Ulama with busi aligned supportthe of Ulama, the with former the during Qajar the dynasty relied heavily on an Politics 1905‐1953,” 188. 37 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 195. 36 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 196. 35 Islamicthe Revolution of Ula 1979, the Secondafterthe World War leading up to of protest. the lizing structure to determine outcome the ercised influence their overthis mobikey form of organized religion but directly ex pro-Monarchist counter-protest inthe provided akey mobilizing structure for strates that role the of Ulama the not only Khan'sunder rule. Reza only time this monarchy,of consolidation to relead the power, and

bazaar 36 WhileKhan's initially over Reza Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Over the course the ofOver decades the ) insupport of astrong mon - Islamic values, undermining the chy's role as asymbol of nation's the interestsern weakened Monar the The Shah's associationwith West decades earlier bydecades Ulama leading pro-Monarchist argument made bazaar "Islam and Shah" crowds." 37 and latter the This demon 35 The The ------pursuit of an agenda of “modernization” of a Republic. Shah” crowds against establishment the earliercades by Ulama leading “Islam and pro-Monarchistthe argument made de nation’sthe Islamic values, undermining Monarchy’s the ened role as asymbol of association with Western interests weak exploitative trade. were given access to profits the from this played loyalty to reigning the monarch and members of bourgeoisie the dis who sources were by extracted Western nations established aregime Iranian inwhich re for two main reasons. Firstly, Shah the ma’s to Monarchy allegiance the waned Islam Iranian inthe Revolution,” 274. 41 Islam Iranian inthe Revolution,” 274. 40 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 191. 39 483 1977–79: Interaction and Transformation,” 38 organizations came to dominate an the labour-oriented factions and religious Islamic Revolution of 1979, amixture of “historically important functions”. social tutions threatened to of strip Shia clergy reforms” after modelled Western insti “educational,scribes, welfare, and legal

Skocpol, “Rentier State and Shi’a Skocpol, “Rentier State and Shi’a Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Iranian “The Revolution, Seeberg, In leading up decades the to the 39 Furthermore, Shah’s the 38 Secondly, Shah’s the - - religious insti threatened the liant directly financially re whom he was nationsern on ter West the af modelled Skocpol de Skocpol Ulama. tutions of the

40 As As

- 41 ------

of reach for Shah, the as community the support of Ulama the was decisively out movement.ti-Shah view Revolution,” Episodic Case Discourse:the The of Iranian 45 332. cago: The University Chicagoof Press, 2019), Structure andMeaninginWorld History 44 IntroductionShort 43 Politics 1905‐1953,” 196. 42 Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Iranian byled Ulama the indefence of mon the olution. of Qajar the and 1979Rev Dynasty the Ulama’sin the end the between ideology class interests explains fully active the shift sis driven solely by an understanding of Ulama nor atraditional Marxian analy on organizational the capabilities of the neither analysis solely a structural based represent. As Mansour Moaddel argues, religious Ulama the of very the ideology economic conditions overlooks role the state sponsorship of Ulama the and socio was driven solely by Shah’s the erosion of Ulama’s realignment away from state the against Shah. the supportthe and intervention of Ulama the overthrown being cessfully in1979was pivotal reason Monarchy the behind suc andDynasty establish aRepublic. Thus, a in Iran inorder to overthrow Pahlavi the influence over contentious claim-making religious influencewiththeir resulting as Ayatollah the Khomeini melding their and religion”, political Revolution was a“synthesis of religion ment against monarchy. the meini were at forefront the of move the of religious scholars by led Ayatollah Kho

57, no. 3(1992):355. 45 Mansoor Moaddel. “Ideology as Said Amir Arjomand, Goldstone, Nevertheless, that idea the the The “Islam and crowds”Shah American Sociological Re , 101. Revolutions: aVery 42 By 1970s,the the 44 with figures such Revolution: 43 The 1979 - (Chi ------to supporting an Islamic ma from supporting an Islamic In other words, shift the amongthe Ula over course the of twentieth the century. context”isodic of Iranian protest politics state and its opponents” “broad inthe ep rect result of “the the between dialectic amongst Iranian Ulama as adi occurred thatasserts evolution the of Shia doctrine lamic jursiprudence). member of inIs Ulama the experienced ments of a“living mujtahid” (i.e. alearned of faith the should abide by judge the tion of law” and emphasises that followers “the ulama key role the interpreta inthe century by the school, assigns which displaced over course the of twentieth the del points out, schoolwas the jurisprudence, or governance. Ulama should play arole injudgement, that idea the rejects which the doctrine, in line schoolof with Akhbari the Shia of nation’s the Islamic character. archy for preservation as the necessary that saw astrong Islamic mon representedDynasty an interpretation of archy during uprisings against Qajar the 49 48 tion,” 356. Case Discourse:the The of IranianRevolu 47 an Politics 1905‐1953,” 191. 46 contentious claim making against the success the termined or failure of of acts ofallegiance Ulama the in large de part with exploitation the of Iran’s resources. its alliance with western actors identified of state’s the sponsorship of religion and itselfwhich was generated by erosion the toAkhbari Usuli the school of Shia Islam, correlatesfrom shift the with doctrinal the

Ibid., 375. Ibid., 356 Moaddel, “Ideology as Episodic Abrahamian, Crowd “The In Irani Consequently, support the and 48 Moaddel further republi 47 As Moad monarchy 46 c largely largely c This is - - 49 ------

77 ISSUE XII | 78 NMC JOURNAL | jar dynasty failed. As demonstrated inmy lar contentious actionunder late the Qa in abolishing monarchy the where simi enabled 1979revolution the to succeed support and Ulama the of peasantry the Conclusion dynasty had failed. ernment where protests under Qajar the result in a revolutionary change ingov Shahthe to enable protests the in1979to peasantry’sthe interests against of those with aforementioned the realignment of Shah’s alienation of Ulama the combined aftermaththe theRevolution. 1979 of The eventual abolition of Monarchy inIran in d’État, tablish aRepublic during 1924Coup the in Iran Khan attempted Reza when to es tosential preservation the of Monarchy Monarchy. The Ulama were not only es Iranian Politics 1905‐1953,” 188. 50 likely to inIran. succeed an of act contentious claim making is un support of two elements these of society, such movements mean that without the toric role indetermining outcome the of organized religion and peasantry’s the his cess of such The acts. Ulama’s control over ercise great power indetermining suc the two segments these ex making, of society outcomethe of an of act contentious claim rolethe indetermining of peasantry the analysis of influence the the of Ulama and

50 but were ultimately pivotal inthe Abrahamian, Crowd “The In In conclusion, changes inthe ------ma as community organizers stemming Iillustrateboth, that role the of Ula the Expounding upon significance the of sources for by export Shah the and elites. state dominated by exploitation the of re structures resulted inalienation from a from loyalty to employers towards union of Iranian the population and shift the I demonstrate that proletarianization the by Usuli the other school).Onthe hand, lishment of an Islamic Republic (driven school) tobari one centred on estab the Shah” monarchy (represented by Akh the from aviewpoint centred on “Islam and ly to account for shift the amongst Ulama characterized Qajar the is large Dynasty of state sponsorship with Ulama the that Pahlavi to maintain Dynasty same the ties one hand, Iillustrate that failure the of the by parts equal factors both of society. On Islamic Revolution of 1979was driven in twentieth century, Idemonstrate that the ing class structures inIran during early the religiousboth leadership and chang the synthesising scholarship on role the of of Ulama the both and peasantry, the and action under late the Qajar dynasty failed. monarchythe whereas similar contentious 1979 revolution to in abolishing succeed and Ulama the peasantry the enabled the thesis that arealignment support inthe of country.in the Consequently, Iaffirm my nizers of contentious movements social identity orga positioned as them crucial from role the of Islam inIranian national Through an analysis the of role ------Abrahamian, Crowd “The Ervand. In Iranian Politics 1905‐1953.” Past and Present 41, Bibliography Tilly, Charles. Contentious Performances. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Teschke, Benno. “Bourgeois Revolution, State Formation and Absence the of Inter the Peter.Seeberg, Iranian “The Revolution, 1977–79: Interaction and Transformation.” "RentierSkocpol, Theda. State and Shi'a Islamthe in IranianRevolution." and Theory Rasler, Karen. “Concessions, Repression, and Political Protest Iranian inthe Revolution.” Gwenn. "EmpoweringOkruhlik, Civility through Nationalism: Reformist Islam and Be Moaddel, Mansoor. "Ideology as Episodic Discourse:Case the The of IranianRevolu Goldstone, Jack A.Revolutions: aVery Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Elbendary, Amina. “Popular Politics Medieval inthe Middle East.” History Compass 16, Arjomand, Said Amir. Revolution: Structure and Meaning inWorld History. Chicago: 2013. national.” Historical Materialism 13,no. 2(2005):3–26. British Journal of Studies Middle Eastern 41,no. 4(2014):483–97. 11,no.Society 3(1982):265-83. 61,no. Review 1(1996):132-52. American Sociological 2005. tion, Democratization, edited by Hefner W. Robert Princeton University Press, longing in Saudi Arabia." In Muslim Remaking Politics: Pluralism, Contesta 57, no. Review 3(1992):353-79. tion." American Sociological Press, 2014. no. 10(2018). The University Chicagoof Press, 2019. no. 1(1968):184–210. - - - - 79 ISSUE XII |