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    • List of Articles Democracy

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        1 - Post Marxism and "Post Marxism
        Mohammadreza Tajik
        Why shall we be rethinking Socialist project today? As the answer to this question, Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe try to take an active, conscious, and not a passive, unconscious role in the contemporary history. They choose as their goal, a (relatively) clear separ More
        Why shall we be rethinking Socialist project today? As the answer to this question, Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe try to take an active, conscious, and not a passive, unconscious role in the contemporary history. They choose as their goal, a (relatively) clear separation from the conflicts they take part in; and understanding the changes that happen in front of their eyes. At the last analysis, they find out that it is necessary to use Derrida's deconstruction method to challenge the structure and the foundation of Orthodox Marxism. Manuscript profile
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        2 - The Origin of Youth Movement in Iran
        مسعود  غفاري
        This article intends to express the origin of the Iranian Youth Movement during 1981-2001. During these three decades, the Youth Movement has been one of the most significant social movements in the political realm of Iran. For elaborating the source of this movement, “ More
        This article intends to express the origin of the Iranian Youth Movement during 1981-2001. During these three decades, the Youth Movement has been one of the most significant social movements in the political realm of Iran. For elaborating the source of this movement, “generation gap” and “democracy” have been surveyed as the two factors; while the results show that the origin of the Youth Movement in Iran has been the opposition of democracy and authoritarianism; and not generation gap. This article has used the results of some formal research inquiries in addition to the official statistics as well. Manuscript profile
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        3 - The Antigone of Sophocles and Athenian Democracy
        مصطفي  يونسي  
        The main purpose of this article is to find the relation between political implications of Sophocles’s Antigone and “Athenian Democracy”. To do so, we have used a structuralist approach the main feature of which is exploring binary oppositions in the text which in turn More
        The main purpose of this article is to find the relation between political implications of Sophocles’s Antigone and “Athenian Democracy”. To do so, we have used a structuralist approach the main feature of which is exploring binary oppositions in the text which in turn results in finding the oppositions within the political-social life that provides a ground for the creation of the text. From the point of view of political thought, the most prominent opposition in the tragedy of Antigone which creats a network of oppositions around itself, is the one drawn between “family”- with its values- and “political system” and the relationships among the citizenry. The importance of this opposition has been confirmed by Christian Meier, Jean Pierre Vernant, Charles Segal, and even Micheal Zelnak.It reveals a transition to the epoch of citizenry’s relations. It also caused the confrontation between “unwritten divine laws” and “man-made written laws”, the opposition that is the main focus of the present article. Manuscript profile
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        4 - The Influence of Technology on Democracy: Technological Democracy
        سیدهدایت  سجادی
        There are two general views on the impact of technology on democracy: a) technology is a threat to democracy, b) technology provides proper grounds for democracy. The aim of this article is to study the consequences of the influence of technology on democracy. Taking te More
        There are two general views on the impact of technology on democracy: a) technology is a threat to democracy, b) technology provides proper grounds for democracy. The aim of this article is to study the consequences of the influence of technology on democracy. Taking technologistic and cultural approaches, this paper studies the influence of technology on the four components of democracy as a government system- decision making policy, human beings as decision makers, community as consisting of individuals, and procedures of determining destiny- and argues that technology is an integral part of democracy in modern technological era to the extent that it entails making the new term as «technological democracy. This term overshadows the question of whether technology is a threat or opportunity to democracy. The question would be significant, when its purpose is to reconcile democracy and technology. Manuscript profile
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        5 - Chinese Society of Homogeneity and Harmony: A Critical and Analytical Approach
        حسین  جمالی
        China, experiencing fundamental changes and transformations, has attracted many attentions, today. One of the changes in the past decade was in its leaders’ orientations to constructing a homogeneous and harmonious society which entails solidarity among its human commun More
        China, experiencing fundamental changes and transformations, has attracted many attentions, today. One of the changes in the past decade was in its leaders’ orientations to constructing a homogeneous and harmonious society which entails solidarity among its human communities, and its adaptability with nature. Studying such a society in the light of objectives of development, theories on transition to democracy, adaptability of socialism, modernism and tradition, ideological and utopian processes, and functions of political systems can to a greet effect make its complex aspects clear . The main idea of the present paper is that pragmatism has functioned more effectively in China’s progress towards a homogeneous and harmonious society than any other factors, very function of which can be evaluated just considering their interactions with pragmatism. Manuscript profile
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        6 - The Crisis in Nation- State and its Possible Future
        ایوب  امیرکواسمی
        The current upheavals suggest that nation-state has lost its functional tenability; that is because the supposed basic functions of such systems that were maintenance of ideology, economics, culture, and so on at the national level are facing crises. Nation-state can no More
        The current upheavals suggest that nation-state has lost its functional tenability; that is because the supposed basic functions of such systems that were maintenance of ideology, economics, culture, and so on at the national level are facing crises. Nation-state can no longer fully implement their political ideals at national areas. In the functionalist approach, the existence of institutions depends on their functions, so with no place for their functions, the survival of nation-state will be unintelligible .The principle objective of this paper is to study a possible future of nation-states and their successors. The method of the study is reasoning. The results of this paper include two important points: the development of statehood and the formation of global political order based on democracy. Manuscript profile
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        7 - Globalization, Social movements, and Democracy in Iran
         
        During the recent decades, the world has experienced extensive cultural, social, economical, and political changes. Many scholars believe that in accordance with the changes in different areas of human life, taking a vast perspective to study culture and politics has be More
        During the recent decades, the world has experienced extensive cultural, social, economical, and political changes. Many scholars believe that in accordance with the changes in different areas of human life, taking a vast perspective to study culture and politics has become of necessity. Hence, in modern sociology of politics, globalization has turned to one of key concepts and variables in explaining political and social changes. On the other hand, social movements are among the phenomena of great development in the modern time, so that today the social movements throughout the world, including Iran, have been developing along with the growth in the various aspects of globalization. The findings of this research show that globalization has affected social movements in Iran. One major effect has been establishing strong link between these movements. The present article tries to answer this question, “What is common ground of the social movements in Iran together?” Our study shows that the democracy has been the common demand of all social movements in Iran and their linking point. Manuscript profile
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        8 - Internet and Radical Democracy: Introduction to the Formation of Radical Virtual Democracy
        Meisam Ghahreman Majid Abbaszadeh Marzbali
        Pluralist radical democracy of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe is a way to end any kind of innate thought about political life; a way in which sporadic powers, parallel hegemonies and as a result various discourses are formed. Discourses whose predicates’ capacities t More
        Pluralist radical democracy of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe is a way to end any kind of innate thought about political life; a way in which sporadic powers, parallel hegemonies and as a result various discourses are formed. Discourses whose predicates’ capacities to satiation and saturating can turn them to hegemonic discourse; but something which seems very important in this radical democracy is that as a result of cultural development due to post-modernism and language games, otherness and plurality in society must be reserved in contest form. Authors believe that against the real world, this kind of contest can be applied in virtual space; hence we call it radical virtual democracy; a radical democracy which has great abilities to affect social and political life; therefore, the main question of this article which we try to answer is that, how is the formation and realization of radical virtual democracy caused by Internet? The hypothesis of the current writing is that the virtual space of Internet with its unique features like hypertext, hyper-network, interactional action and the decentralization of medium power which is assured by two features of access possibility to virtual identity and technical and non-exclusive skilled facilities, has the ability to form radical virtual democracy. Manuscript profile
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        9 - From Class Paradox to Discursive Gap: Reviewing the Classic Marxist from Laclau and Mouffe Post-marxist View
          سید صدرا  حسینی
        Any school of thought throughout its history undergoes many changes and fluctuations. The complexity of the recent modern capitalist societies made the new Marxists to revive the opponents’ position of capitalist system. Laclau and Mouffe are among post-Marxists who are More
        Any school of thought throughout its history undergoes many changes and fluctuations. The complexity of the recent modern capitalist societies made the new Marxists to revive the opponents’ position of capitalist system. Laclau and Mouffe are among post-Marxists who are engaged in this attempt. Their criticism of the classical Marxism is due to its dogmatic features and its one-sided and biased analyses. By proposing the concepts of discourse, articulation, mobile identities, hegemony and discursive gaps and conflicts, Laclau and Mouffe try to compensate for the one-sidedness of Classical Marxism which summarizes in economic determinism, class identities, class struggles, and social class gap. These changes are made to increase the effectiveness of Marxism in their analysis of recent modern and complex capitalist societies. The aim of this article is to survey the process of change of Classical Marxist thoughts to Laclau and Mouffe’s post-Marxism. Firstly, there will be a discussion about decentralization of the society following the Post-Marxist perspective, which substitutes the economic determinism in the formation of social order, and secondly, the study points to the idea of antagonism which is a shared concept in both Marxism and Post-Marxism views. The Classical Marxism viewed politics as the class conflict which is lost in the ultimate Communism of class conflict that resulted in a classless society. However, Laclau and Mouffe’s post-marxism points to the endless political conflict and considers it as an everlasting element of the society, and it deems the radical democratic policy as an element that preserves such a conflict. Manuscript profile
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        10 - “Radical Liberal Democracy” as Foucault’s Alternative for Political Modernity
        Ali Salehifarsani
        The goal of this article is an evaluation of concrete effect of Foucault’s fundamental and genealogical criticism of modernity, and examining Foucault’s ideas that signify the political system and agency. Foucault believes in the de-transcendentalization of power and kn More
        The goal of this article is an evaluation of concrete effect of Foucault’s fundamental and genealogical criticism of modernity, and examining Foucault’s ideas that signify the political system and agency. Foucault believes in the de-transcendentalization of power and knowledge in modern era. The problem is the effect of acceptance of de-transcendentalization of power on political agency, state and governmentality. Foucault’s de-transcendental view does not consider the political as something that is related to sovereignty, and by placing it in an undeterministic framework that is simultaneously cultural and political, he calls it governmentality. Sovereignty doesn't exist in a de-transcendental framework as it may make a person inferior to do something that he wants himself. In contrast, governmentality effects on the practice of ruled, as this is context of self-changing and self-regulating in their everyday behaviors. However, they are not made to do a work that they do not like, but power exercises freely and through the objectification of the subject over them. In response to this problem, Morris Barbie's theory of political modernity, applied as heuristic device for definition of the political and method of application is Arthur Lovejoy's history of ideas. The theory of political modernity prompts dichotomy of freedom-subjugation in two dimensions of state and civil society, in so that correspond with liberal democracy system through priority of subjugation. Hypothesis of this article is that Foucault’s belif that political modernity and liberal democracy system prompts the priority of subjugation and it leads to radical liberal democracy. Manuscript profile
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        11 - Foundations and Application of “Otherness” for Social- political Order on the Thought of Richard Rorty
        Khalil Sardarnus Hosein Mohseni
        Tolerance and acceptation of “otherness”, is necessary for dynamism of socio-political order. Richard Rorty is one of the important post modern thinkers and philosophers that have had special attention to otherness concept in pragmatism with social utility. The aim of More
        Tolerance and acceptation of “otherness”, is necessary for dynamism of socio-political order. Richard Rorty is one of the important post modern thinkers and philosophers that have had special attention to otherness concept in pragmatism with social utility. The aim of this research is to explain of the foundation of otherness concept and its pragmatic utility in socio- political sphere. In this study, the main question is: principally, what is the relationship between otherness concept and socio-political order in Richard Rorty thought? The final finding of this study shows that: by crticism of meta- narratives and rejecting of general truth, Rorty believes to plural order by emphasis on otherness presence and its utility for socio-political order that has been partly done in western liberal democracies with main shortcomings and difficulties. By criticism of modernity thoughts and its meta narratives and rejection of Descartes’ Cogito on the impact of Emanuel Levinas, believes that attention to necessity of otherness, tolerance and responsibility are important than the concept of “self”. In the thought of Richard Rorty, otherness goes beyond of philosophical contexts and extend to cohesion and sympathy in ethics sphere and to neo-pragmatism democracy in the politics scope. Manuscript profile
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        12 - Citizenship as the Normative Implication of Phronetic Development
        عباس  منوچهری saeed nariman
        The relationship between political philosophy and development, as the creation of conditions that would lead to "life betterment", was marginalized in the beginnings of the development of modern political thought. Due to the influence of ideas such as utilitarianism and More
        The relationship between political philosophy and development, as the creation of conditions that would lead to "life betterment", was marginalized in the beginnings of the development of modern political thought. Due to the influence of ideas such as utilitarianism and the market economy, the twentieth century witnessed the re-emergence of the concept of development as growth. The mentioned concept claimed what civic/political knowledge sought from the beginning, namely "Good living". This paper is an attempt to rebalance this situation by developing a theory of phronetic development based on the Aristotelian concept of phronesis. Using an implicative approach, the paper argues for using the concept of citizenship as the normative implication of phronetic development. In order to do so, the paper deconstructs economic growth theory, exposes its reductionist conception of development, and reestablishes the link between moral philosophy, economy, politics, and development. In this conception, democracy as public reasoning, participation as empowering citizens' phronesis, and freedom are the main constitutive elements of phronetic development. Therefore, appropriate policies and measures should be put in place to promote citizenship that induces phronetic development. Manuscript profile
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        13 - Factors and Obstacles Affecting the Role of Civic Institutions in the "Reform Period" in Iran: The Internal Dynamics of a Hybrid Political System
        Alireza  Khoshbakht Majid tavasoli Mohammadmahdi mojahedi
        The purpose of this article is to discuss the political ups and downs of the “Reform era” in Iran (1997-2005). To analyze the “Islamic Republic of Iran” as a political regime and its dynamics, “Hybrid Regimes” theories have been used in current work. Such theories rejec More
        The purpose of this article is to discuss the political ups and downs of the “Reform era” in Iran (1997-2005). To analyze the “Islamic Republic of Iran” as a political regime and its dynamics, “Hybrid Regimes” theories have been used in current work. Such theories reject the duality of Democracy-Authoritarianism and try to provide essential concepts for analyzing the regimes which are in the middle of the spectrum. Those regimes have unique features in comparison to Democratic or Authoritarian regimes. To analyze the Islamic Republic of Iran as a political regime and to explain the ups and downs of the “Reform era” in Iran, the studies of four researchers on “hybrid Regimes” have been used here. Some of the keynotes which have been applied to the current study to discuss the political ups and downs of that specific period are as follows: the importance of political competition, social and political backgrounds of creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a hybrid regime, and finally, the relation between such a regime and rentier economy in Iran. Finally, the article has concluded that the reformist’s earlier progress and their later withdraw and defeat could be considered as “inner dynamics of a hybrid regime” instead of the “the defeated transition to democracy”. Manuscript profile
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        14 - The relationship between governmental method and the process of democratization and consolidation of democracy (Case study: Islamic Republic of Iran)
        Mansour  Ansari Mir ghasem seyedinzad
        Basically, the issue of democratization and consolidation of democracy has been the main concern of humanity, especially intellectuals and philosophers throughout history; because, firstly, democracy is the most effective system for achieving balance and only order invo More
        Basically, the issue of democratization and consolidation of democracy has been the main concern of humanity, especially intellectuals and philosophers throughout history; because, firstly, democracy is the most effective system for achieving balance and only order involves the least evil, and secondly, in the words of Alfred Smith, all the failures of democracy can be cured with more democracy. However, the rate and percentage of failures and defects are not the same in all countries; For this reason, it is necessary to analyze the systems that have fulfilled all the conditions of democracy to a great extent, the systems that have fulfilled some of the conditions of democracy and the systems that sometimes even have the minimum conditions of democracy. Systems with the first feature are usually democratized, systems with the second feature are hybrid, and systems with the third feature are undemocratic. Each of these governance methods has a direct or indirect relationship with the process of democratization and the consolidation of democracy. In principle, the main problem and question in this research are to explain the relationship between "governmental method" and "the process of democratization and consolidation of democracy" (problem and question). Achieving this goal is pursued with the help of "descriptive-analytical" methods and using the library and digital resources (method). It seems that among the various models of democracy, "minimal democracy" is more closely related to the governing periods of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and "maximum democracy" has the most positive impact on the "process of democratization and consolidation”. (Findings) Manuscript profile
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        15 - Postmodernist Politics: William E. Connolly’s Agonistic Democracy
        Faramarz  Mirzazadeh AhmadBiglou
        Postmodernism, by deconstructing all the foundations and meta-narratives, has created a situation in which pluralism is the basis for policy-making. While some scholars have spoken of the refusal to form politics in the postmodern space, and have considered the lack of More
        Postmodernism, by deconstructing all the foundations and meta-narratives, has created a situation in which pluralism is the basis for policy-making. While some scholars have spoken of the refusal to form politics in the postmodern space, and have considered the lack of a basis for establishing political theory inappropriate, others have sought to establish a policy appropriate to this space, both theoretically and practically. Among them is "William Connolly", who, by inventing concepts such as multidimensional pluralism, onto-politics, politics of becoming, critical responsiveness, and agonistic respect, explained postmodern politics, and proportionate with multiplicity, pluralism, dispersion, and diversity of identities has proposed a practical solution. Agonistic democracy, which of course includes other founders and proponents such as Chantal Mouffe, David Owen, and James Tully, is a viable alternative to deliberative democracy and attends it as an inclusive, contingent, and accountable political life, by respectful contestation of wonderful, different and even contradictory new identities. Uncertainty, unpredictability, juxtaposition of divine and atheistic beliefs in the context of the multiplicity of gender, linguistic, racial and cultural identities are some of the components that Connolly has considered and explained in postmodern politics. Manuscript profile
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        16 - Liberal-Democratic Theology and the New Political Science: A Reflection on Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Spinoza Theological-Political Efforts as Pioneers of the New Political Science
        Shervin  Moghimi Zanjani
        The question of “what is the good?” was the main characteristic of the Socratic political philosophy. However, the modern political philosophy had to pass this question and like its enemy (namely revealed theology) present a definite and tangible definition of “the goo More
        The question of “what is the good?” was the main characteristic of the Socratic political philosophy. However, the modern political philosophy had to pass this question and like its enemy (namely revealed theology) present a definite and tangible definition of “the good”. In other words, they had to show that philosophy, in addition to being the authoritative source of knowledge, can and must be the basis for promoting human life and a guide for attaining the good in practice. The role of Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Spinoza from this point of view is so prominent. It seems that the good they defended, was the true origin of the values of a liberal democratic regime. These philosophers recognized that the necessity of the dogmatic definition of the good necessitates a theological-rhetorical expression to persuade the addresses. Therefore, without comprehending this theological-rhetorical backbone, the values of a liberal democratic regime cannot be understood completely. The modern political philosophy, on other hand, is the forbear of modern political science that its main subject is behavior and action of the citizens in a liberal democratic regime. Therefore, we can say that modern political science cannot be comprehended completely without contemplating on the ambivalent effort of these philosophers: on the one hand, their theological defense of the liberal democratic values, and on the other hand, their defense of a new scientific politics distinguished radically from ancient political knowledge. Manuscript profile
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        17 - The Theoretical Underpinning of Political Culture of Elite Area and Good Governance in the Islamic Republic of Iran
        hanieh graeeli korpi Masoud Motalebi Hosain Abolfazli Ali Salehifarsani
        Good governance refers to achieving the rule of law, transparency, accountability, participation, equality, efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, individual freedom, press freedom, and active civil society. Along with these prerequisites, political culture, and in More
        Good governance refers to achieving the rule of law, transparency, accountability, participation, equality, efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, individual freedom, press freedom, and active civil society. Along with these prerequisites, political culture, and in particular the political culture of the elites, is crucial in institutionalizing the principles of good governance, especially in developing countries. This subject has drawn the attention of certain good governance studies academics in recent decades. The results showed that if the political culture of the elites is democratic or accepts at least some minimal democratic values, it can act as the basis for advancing democracy or political development in the sense of raising political participation and competition. In societies where, for various and complex reasons, the political culture of the elites is anti-participatory in the sense of being anti-democratic, authoritarian political structures and an ideology consistent with it can pose a significant barrier to the advancement of democratic indicators. A political culture that is authoritarian and non-participatory acts as a factor that hinders political development. In contrast, democratic and participatory ideals and attitudes significantly influence a country's political development. This is more evident in emerging nations when elite political culture has a more robust coefficient of determination. Manuscript profile
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        18 - Paradigmatic Shifts and the Emergence of the Modern Western Nation-State
        Saeed Attar Mohammad kamalizadeh
        In this research, we aim to trace the various paths that ultimately led to the emergence of the modern nation-state and its implications in contemporary political structures worldwide. What we now recognize as the modern nation-state, which continues to exist in various More
        In this research, we aim to trace the various paths that ultimately led to the emergence of the modern nation-state and its implications in contemporary political structures worldwide. What we now recognize as the modern nation-state, which continues to exist in various forms of political systems, has its roots in ancient and gradual transformations in the West (Europe). These developments can be depicted as a paradigmatic narrative of the dialectic of needs and responses. This narrative begins with ancient Greece and its devotion to rationality and freedom, and continues along different paths, on the one hand, with modern evangelical traditions and the exploration of Roman legal structures, and on the other hand, by passing through historical, social, political, and economic contexts, the great Western powers (England, France, Germany, and the United States) have pursued different paths towards the emergence of the modern state. In retracing these various paths, we have utilized Kuhn's paradigmatic approach. Manuscript profile