society

Open Access Article

1 - Hegel, Marx and Gramsci on State and Civil Society
محمدتقي سبزه‌اي

The purpose of this article is the comparative survey of three contrastive theoreticians- Hegel, Marx, and Gramsci- on state, civil society and their relationships. Hegel assumed the civil society as a combination of three systems; the economical, legal and cohesive (po More

The purpose of this article is the comparative survey of three contrastive theoreticians- Hegel, Marx, and Gramsci- on state, civil society and their relationships. Hegel assumed the civil society as a combination of three systems; the economical, legal and cohesive (police and their related classes) which stand between the family and the state; which ultimately substitutes the state. Marx considers the civil society as the domain of work and everyday life, which is a totally economical and apolitical domain. Unlike Hegel and Marx, Gramci observes the civil society as a cultural sphere. The result of this theoretical comparative analysis shows that although these three contrasting theorists of philosophical principles assume a similar and common society as the base of their analysis, their conclusions on the society’s pattern structure differs with each other. Hegel substituted the three-dimensioned pattern of “family-civil society-state” with Aristotle’s classic two-dimensioned pattern of “family-city state”. Also Marx’s substructure pattern (on civil society) and superstructure (state) changed for Gramsci to the substructure (economic) and superstructure (civil society = nongovernmental organs + state). Gramci’s state is a combinative state compiled of the satisfaction of “mastery + power” and therefore it is both the substructure and the superstructure. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

2 - 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

Open Access Article

3 - Ideal political Society in Sheikh Mohammed Ismail Mahallati' Political Thought
mohamad ali tavana Mahmoud Alipour

It seems that every political thought in itself, contains an ideal political society. This ideal society can be apparent, such as Farabi' utopia or the hidden and latent, Such as Sohrevardi' ideal society. Theorizing About political ideal is result of social and politic More

It seems that every political thought in itself, contains an ideal political society. This ideal society can be apparent, such as Farabi' utopia or the hidden and latent, Such as Sohrevardi' ideal society. Theorizing About political ideal is result of social and political crisis. One of the most turbulent periods in the history of Iran is Qajar era, which is faced with different crisis such as absolute power and colonialism. This crisis led to contemplate the many thinkers and each according self- effort to have a response to this crisis. One of the thinkers is Sheikh Mohammed Ismail Mahallati that his political thought is less considered. It seems that he answers to this crisis and his political ideal is different from other thinkers in this era. Accordingly, the central question of this paper is that: What is the Mahallati specific reply to crisis of constitutionalism era? And how is his ideal political society? What are its features? And Finally, What relationship exists between justice and public interest in his ideal society. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

4 - A Criticism on class status in “ o’lrisch beck” ‘s flexible modernity
reza mahmoudoghli

In this paper, the conception of class was criticized and studied in “o’lrisch beck”‘s view. The theoretical framework of research is based on the critical approach that aims to challenge the self-founded culture and intellect of modernity. O’lrisch beck as one of the f More

In this paper, the conception of class was criticized and studied in “o’lrisch beck”‘s view. The theoretical framework of research is based on the critical approach that aims to challenge the self-founded culture and intellect of modernity. O’lrisch beck as one of the flexible modernity theoreticians declares the death of class, the death of collective identities, and traditional construction in transition process to flexible modernity and emphasizes on individualism in modern age. In this paper, the authors criticize this framework due to ignorance of social inequalities in modern society and shows that beck’s theory about collective identities declination has very serious inconsistencies and contradictions. The main purpose of this essay is not, rejection of the reality of social changes, but the main goal is the clarification of existing internal mistakes and contradictions of Beck’s writings, along with the defense of class analysis in sociology discussions Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

5 - The role of civil society in public policy process: Providing a conceptual framework
Yahya Kamali

Civil society, its organizations and elements is one of interested subjects of social and political analysts. Civil society, especially in democratic societies has a significant role in the public policy process. Political process is the main process is the public polic More

Civil society, its organizations and elements is one of interested subjects of social and political analysts. Civil society, especially in democratic societies has a significant role in the public policy process. Political process is the main process is the public policy process that includes power and influence in the society in which actors struggle to achieve certain goals. Public policy in its various stages is affected by new forces that the extent of their presence and the level of their power are growing. Understanding these effects can provide a Proper guide in defining and analyzing the public policy process in a country. In this Article, the public policy process has segregated into five stages: formation of referential, agenda setting, decision making, implementation and evaluation And then the role of civil society in the policy process have been analyzed. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

6 - The Transformation of communicative action, public sphere, civil society and democracy in Iran (The case study: Iran, between the constitutional movement and the presidential election 10th)
مانا دشتگلی هاشمی هادی خانیکی Tahmineh Shaverdi

In this article, historical events and cases happening from the constitutional movement to the tenth presidential election of Iran, suggesting formation or non-formation of communicative action, public sphere, civil society and democracy, have been narrated and compared More

In this article, historical events and cases happening from the constitutional movement to the tenth presidential election of Iran, suggesting formation or non-formation of communicative action, public sphere, civil society and democracy, have been narrated and compared in a comparative study based on Boolean algebras. This study aimed at better understanding of Iranian society and identifying ups and downs that Iranian society has passed on the road to democracy regarding to communicative action, the public sphere and civil society since constitutional revolution until now, and tries to answer this question that how the relationship between communicative action, public sphere, civil society and democracy can be explained? Accordingly, the theoretical concepts of the research were reviewed and extracted from views of Arendt, Habermas, Gramsci, Lipset, Alain de Benoist and Bashiriyeh to get indices and indicators for these concepts. Then according to these indicators the situation of the communicative action, public sphere, civil society and democracy in five historical periods (since the constitutional movement to the tenth presidential election) were narrated and analyzed. During the narrative analysis of each period of time based on the presence and absence of each concept exemplar, zero (low intensity) and one (high intensity) were placed in Boolean table for each historical juncture and the relationship between these concepts were studied. Based on the findings it can be argued that despite the attempts and measures done by society, elites and part of state or government, three concepts of communicative action, public sphere and civil society were not so strong except in a few cases. Therefore, in different historical periods, lack of one of these three insufficient conditions impeded realization of democracy in Iran. Among these five historical periods, historic period of nationalization of oil is the only time that Iranian attempts to reach to the democracy has got a fruit and made democracy possible, thanks to the communicative action, public sphere and civil society. During the constitutional movement the historical cases that had traces of presence of communicative action or public sphere and during the reform era historical cases that referred to civil society and public sphere are more than the events that lack these concepts. But in the revolution and tenth presidential election of Iran the historical cases referring to communicative action, public sphere, civil society and democracy were less than events referring to these concepts. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

7 - The Ratio of Globalization and Justice in the Political Thought of Anthony Giddens and Emmanuel Wallerstein
hassan abniki

Globalization is one of the key concepts in political science and sociology, which has become one of the major discourses in the literature of these two areas of social sciences. Many thinkers referred to it as the “Discourse of Globalization,” which is a discourse that More

Globalization is one of the key concepts in political science and sociology, which has become one of the major discourses in the literature of these two areas of social sciences. Many thinkers referred to it as the “Discourse of Globalization,” which is a discourse that can measure the proportion of many concepts in political thought in relation to it. One of these concepts is justice. Justice, with any definition, is the starting point for discussing globalization. Is it possible, in principle, to expect justice to be realized under the globalization discourse? In other words, what is the relation between justice and globalization? To answer the question, this paper addresses the views of the two thinkers of the globalization era, Anthony Giddens and Emmanuel Wallerstein. Essentially, I argue that Giddens believes in the Kantian assumption that justice is inherent in globalization, and only with the creation of a civil society in the current era, societies can attain globalization. On the other hand, Wallerstein rejected this claim and placed justice in the age of globalization under the overshoot of the capitalist system. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

8 - Comparative Study of Hobbes, Locke and Rawls' Ideas in the light of the Hypothetical Position of the Social Contract
mokhtar nouri Majid tavasoli

In the modern paradigm of political philosophy, we are faced with a hypothetical position that called social contract. The mentioned paradigm is from Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau to draw the origins of the legitimacy of the political society and the various categories of More

In the modern paradigm of political philosophy, we are faced with a hypothetical position that called social contract. The mentioned paradigm is from Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau to draw the origins of the legitimacy of the political society and the various categories of political philosophy, such as security and property. John Rawls restored the social contract again in the late 20th century. It seems that the purpose of using this hypothetical position from political philosophers is to provide a way of "knowing" about politics. The present article seeks to comparatively assess the position of the hypothetical social contract in the political thought of Hobbes and Locke with the thought of John Rawls in the contemporary era. Findings of the research indicate that the use of the hypothetical position of the social contract from the modern thinkers has a deeper position, while this position is only a representation tool for John Rawls. Because Rawls did not try to use the position of Hobbes and Locke to explain forming political society and its legitimacy, and was only seeking justification justice. For this purpose, we have used a comparative method for matching the ideas and the library method is also a tool for collecting information. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

9 - The Effect of Globalization on Civil Institutions in Iran1
Azadeh Shabani

In the field of social sciences and humanities in the 1980s, the phenomenon of “globalization” as well as “civil society” were in the spotlight. Meanwhile, the ratio of these two together has been at the center of attention and analysis of various scholars. The concept More

In the field of social sciences and humanities in the 1980s, the phenomenon of “globalization” as well as “civil society” were in the spotlight. Meanwhile, the ratio of these two together has been at the center of attention and analysis of various scholars. The concept of civil society in Iran was considered in the mid-seventies (the late 1990s). In this article, using the method of critical realism, the effect of globalization on civil institutions in Iran has been analyzed and it has been shown that between 1997 and 2011 there was no relation between the transformation of civil institutions and globalization in Iran. Critical Realism means that the real, that is, civil institutions, consists of three levels ontological, actuality and factual. Public institutions (participatory) are regarded as the ontological level of the real, social institutions as the actuality level of the real and political institutions as the factual level of the real. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

10 - Theoretical explanation of the position of civil society in the model of good governance
Seyed Rahim Abolhasani Khosrow Ghobadi

20.1001.1.20085796.1400.13.29.1.1

In the model of good governance, the three sectors of public, private, and civil society work together with separate boundaries and in an interactive relationship in order to achieve development goals. This model is inconsistent with the current approach of civil societ More

In the model of good governance, the three sectors of public, private, and civil society work together with separate boundaries and in an interactive relationship in order to achieve development goals. This model is inconsistent with the current approach of civil society based on the Hegelian conception, which is based on political economy and conflict. Now the question can be asked that in the absence or diminishing role of economics and politics in the definition and explanation of civil society, with what basis and approach can this concept be explained in the model of good governance? The present article argues that cultural approaches to civil society, including Jeffrey Alexander's approach, can further explain civil society in terms of good governance. In this article, the writers discuss some aspects of this explanation by a descriptive and analytical method. The method of data collection is documentary and library, and by referring to reliable sources and analyzing them, documents have been provided to test the hypothesis of the article. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

11 - Waqf and the Function of Political Participation in Contemporary Iran: A Study From the New Institutionalism Point of View
Ali Karim Hadisi Mojtaba Maghsoodi Akbar Ashrafi Babak Naderpour

20.1001.1.20085796.1401.17.32.4.6

Waqf [a system of land-based charitable endowment], as rooted in historical and religious traditions in Iran and the Islamic world, has always been a topic of interest for believers, philanthropists, statesmen, and of course those who have benefited from it in different More

Waqf [a system of land-based charitable endowment], as rooted in historical and religious traditions in Iran and the Islamic world, has always been a topic of interest for believers, philanthropists, statesmen, and of course those who have benefited from it in different social groups and classes. For a long time, the mechanisms of waqf as a non-governmental and traditional institution have been very influential on various social, political, economic, and cultural structures. Today, with the introduction of the idea of small government and big civil society, these institutions have the potential for attracting renewed attention to revise their internal and external mechanisms and to revitalize their functionality. The main question of this study is as follow: from the standpoint of New Institutionalism, how does waqf as a Sharia-based, society-centered, andnon-governmental institution affect political participation? Our hypothesis is that the practice of waqf facilitates higher degrees of political participation sinceas a non-governmental institution, it takes up some of the responsibilities of the state for social justice, and with a philanthropy that is based in piety and humanism, it contributes to the distribution of wealth and resources. Indeed we can account for different aspects of this mechanism by re-reading the concept of waqf andits historical background from the perspective of New Institutionalism. This research tries to help represent this neglected field by using a qualitative-conceptual method. Findings of this study portrayWaqf in three ways; "Social participation" through focusing on health care, "economic participation" through donations and welfare services, and "political participation" through cultural-educational functions, especially for the needy and disadvantaged groups Governance helps and has the talent to serve as a model of efficient and community-based governance. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

12 - Legalization of Public and Private Sphere Theory, with Emphasis on Hannah Arendt’s View
Samaneh Rahmatifar

20.1001.1.20085796.1399.12.28.13.4

The comparative study on political theory of the public and private sphere with law provides a basis for restriction of law and state and redraws public-private law boundary. Research method is descriptive-analytical. That is, firstly, the private and public sphere, acc More

The comparative study on political theory of the public and private sphere with law provides a basis for restriction of law and state and redraws public-private law boundary. Research method is descriptive-analytical. That is, firstly, the private and public sphere, according to Hannah Arendt's theories, are described by identifying its elements. And, secondly, the elements in two spheres are analyzed in accordance with law framework and its branches generally. And, finally, the level of recognition of private and public sphere in legal system of Iran is measured. The private sphere is an area of human life that is intertwined with elements such as intangible ownership and presidency of the family, and the tendency to conceal and naturally de-legalization. Civil society is a part of private sphere; it is an area of human self-control activity into non-governmental groups. The public sphere is an area of policy-making by citizens through free conversation and action. In the legal system of Iran, the private sphere is supported overall; independence of civil society is not guaranteed, despite implicit recognition. Government makes policy, then citizens work within its framework after getting governmental permission. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

13 - The Theory of Oriental Despotism and Nature of State and Society in Pre-Modern Iran
h k

20.1001.1.20085796.1399.12.28.14.5

In its various narratives, the theory of Oriental despotism has been the dominant analytical framework for understanding the nature of state and society in pre-modern Iran. The main product of this theory's application has been presenting the state's image as an arbitra More

In its various narratives, the theory of Oriental despotism has been the dominant analytical framework for understanding the nature of state and society in pre-modern Iran. The main product of this theory's application has been presenting the state's image as an arbitrary and strong organization in the face of a fragmented society with dependent, weak, and passive social forces. According to such an analysis, the state's fundamental features, society, and the relations between them have not undergone a qualitative change from the beginning of history until now despite all the apparent changes in Iran's history. The first purpose of this article is to present a report on the origins of oriental despotism theory, its application by Western and Iranian scholars for analysis of the Iranian history, identification of its core themes about the nature of state and society, and the reasons for its popularity in the post-revolutionary period. The essay shows that despite the long history of this theory, it has been redesigned in the context of a political-theoretical conflict between the Leftist groups and their critics during the 1950s and 1970s. The article considers the hegemony of this approach after the Islamic Revolution due to the invalidity of Orthodox Marxism's analytical framework and capabilities this theory to provide a simple yet understandable answer to the problem of economic and political underdevelopment. The second aim of this article is to reveal the inadequacy of the theory and its results in analyzing the nature of the Iranian state and society. It emphasizes that the mentioned view has practically blocked the way for a "truly" historical sociology of Iran and a correct understanding of the nature of the state, society, and their interactions with one another. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

14 - Explaining the relationship between state and society: from one-sided frameworks to reciprocal links
sara akbari Vahid sinaee Mehdi Najafzadeh eslami eslami

20.1001.1.20085796.1401.17.31.10.0

Explaining the relationship between the state and society is one of the most important theoretical challenges in political science. In a theoretical conflict and as a result of numerous criticisms of one-dimensional explanations of society or the state, the key question More

Explaining the relationship between the state and society is one of the most important theoretical challenges in political science. In a theoretical conflict and as a result of numerous criticisms of one-dimensional explanations of society or the state, the key question is to what extent univariate and one-sided theories have the power to explain and answer why and how the relationship between state and society is and what are their shortcomings. This article first seeks to critique the analytical tradition in the literature on government-society relations and then explain the components of historical institutionalism as one of the approaches in political science. According to this view, the government and society have mutually influenced each other in their historical process. This view sees the power of the state and the manifestation of this power in connection with the power of the society and considers the existing institutional arrangements in society and their transformation as the product of the connection of power structures in a historical process. The main components of this theory are “important milestones, path dependence, timing and sequence, events, design, and institutional transformation”.¬ The analytical framework presented in this paper is based on systematic attention to how institutional arrangements are established and consolidated in the context of time, and therefore rather than having the characteristics of specific theories, it is introduced as a general theoretical framework. It may have more power to analyze the role of institutions in the social sciences in general and political science in particular. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

15 - The Relationship Between Innovations in Power and Governance in the Thought of "Michel Foucault" and "Gilles Deleuze"
Mohammad Malekifar Ali Mokhtari hamdallah akvani Abuzar Fatahizadeh

20.1001.1.20085796.1401.17.32.11.3

The dominant view among liberal and Marxist thinkers indicates that the ruling power seeks to adopt a legal order within a specific territory. Therefore, the ruling power is considered as a system of legal obligations and prohibitions that are applied withinthe law. But More

The dominant view among liberal and Marxist thinkers indicates that the ruling power seeks to adopt a legal order within a specific territory. Therefore, the ruling power is considered as a system of legal obligations and prohibitions that are applied withinthe law. But thinkers such as "Michel Foucault" and "Gilles Deleuze" recognize a gap in governance mechanisms. Foucault believes that since the 17thand 18thcenturies, instead of legal prohibitions, the government sought to shape its subjects in a positive way and tried to cultivate normal and obedient subjects. In the continuation of Foucault's studies, Gilles Deleuze continues that 20thcentury governments by regulatory ways, tryto lead the subjects towards their goals. In consequence, this article tries to address the question of what factor causes change in the way of governance in Foucault's and Deleuze's thought? The phenomenological examination of the opinions of these two thinkers shows that the root of innovation to governancelies in power. Manuscript profile

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