Sociology
Muzaffar Namdar; Javad Nazarimoghaddam
Volume 18, Issue 12 , June 2019, , Pages 207-230
Abstract
Many of the research works on the Iranian history and culture, while embracing the theory of Oriental Despotism, regard despotism as a feature of Iranian society, and they believe that during the history of Iran, the shadow of tyranny has always been widespread in all social areas of the Iranian community. ...
Read More
Many of the research works on the Iranian history and culture, while embracing the theory of Oriental Despotism, regard despotism as a feature of Iranian society, and they believe that during the history of Iran, the shadow of tyranny has always been widespread in all social areas of the Iranian community. This discourse has considered a decisive role for the government and the institution of politics in the Iranian history and believes that despotism in Iran has prevented the formation of civil and guild organizations. This article tries to criticize this discourse with a descriptive-analytical approach with the library method as well as the study of non-Iranian writings. According to the research findings, the structure of the market institutions, religious institutions, social strata and tribal status in the Iranian society show that the Iranian despotism theory is rooted in the meta-narratives or the great theory of Oriental Despotism and Asian Production which does not correspond to the historical facts of Iran.