Journal Metrics

Abstract The book “Early Islam and the birth of Capitalism” is significant for the author's historical approach, which attributes the origins of capitalism not to the West, but to the economic and commercial structures of Arab society before and after Islam. However, the historical data, arguments, premises, and conclusions presented in the book are insufficient to support such a hypothesis and reflect a lack of historical knowledge on the part of the author. This article focuses on the concept of trade—which, according to the author, is the most significant link to the emergence of capitalism—and offers a critical analysis of the book, aiming to assess the extent to which its arguments align with historical realities. The findings of this study indicate that the author's analysis of the connection between Arab trade and the rise of capitalism lacks historical accuracy and coherence, due to insufficient attention to the social and cultural context of pre-Islamic Arab society, Islamic economic traditions and values, and the broader history of global trade among other civilizations such as Greece and Rome. As a result, the author's conclusions prove to be unsuccessful.

Abstract This article examines and critiques Stuart Hall's book "Meaning, Culture, and Social Life" through a descriptive-analytical method. The main focus of the book is the examination of what meaning, culture, and their relationship with social-political life are. The analysis shows that despite the importance of the book, the translation of part of the English text, which is merely an introduction to the main discussion, as well as formal and content-related deficiencies such as not including footnotes for terms and proper names, writing errors, weaknesses in equivalency selection, and a lack of consistency in the translation detract from its value. Hall, influenced by Gramsci, expands the concept of hegemony from class domination to discursive struggle in culture and media. Unlike Edward Said, who sees representation as a tool for Western dominance over the East, Hall views it as fluid and resistible. According to Hall, there are also criticisms regarding his writing and analytical style and methodology, which sometimes lead readers to face difficulties in reading and understanding his works. Other criticisms that can be written about him include a fluid and reductionist view of culture and ignoring historical, social, and economic structures. Despite all this, in the age of digital capitalism, Stuart Hall's perspective remains very important and fundamental as a beacon of hope in today's social  struggles.

Abstract The present article seeks to critically analyze the dominant dualistic perspective in most theories of the humanities and social sciences through an interdisciplinary approach inspired by psychoanalysis, sociology, and theoretical mysticism. To do this, it first gives a psychoanalytic narrative of the emergence of the subject. Then, it argues that the main problem of the dualistic perspective is that through the amnesia of the moment of separation from being, subjectivity—as a secondary, temporary, yet necessary form of knowledge—illusively replaces true ontology, and then attempts to explain external reality based on the subject-object dualism. The article then, relying on the later works of Simmel, refutes the idea that the experience of unity with being is impossible in the post-Oedipal world. This becomes possible through Simmel’s neo-Kantian reading of Kant’s idea that the subject-object boundary can be suspended in the aesthetic realm. Accordingly, Simmel considers the suspension of the dualistic subject-object relationship feasible at the social and political levels as well. The article further introduces the concept of “transgression” and attempts to explore the suspension of this dualism through the sociological concepts of “I” and “me” from Mead, as well as through a mystical reading based on the thoughts of Ibn Arabi and Rumi.

Abstract “Reflexive modernity” is a new concept that has important theoretical implications. This concept was first introduced in a work titled “Reflexive Modernity: Politics, Tradition, and Aesthetics in the Modern Social Order” by Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck, and Scott Lash. This article attempts to examine the hidden aspects of the new modernity through a critique and interpretation of the central idea of ​​this work and to show how the positive idea of ​​reflexive modernity can be a precursor to the emergence of a negative and crisis-ridden concept of modernity. This article is organized at three levels of description, analysis, and reflection: first, at the descriptive level, we introduce the main elements that constitute “reflexive modernity.” Second, at the analytical level, we try to look at “between the lines,” in Leo Strauss’s terms, and reveal the hidden aspects of this idea. Here, we will show that in the conceptualizations made, there are always two competing scenarios: a positive and ideal scenario and a negative and anti-ideal scenario. The first scenario seems to be the overt and covert approach of this idea. Finally, as a reflection, we will discuss the idea of ​​“crisis-ridden modernity” and show how, in the shadow of the increasing strengthening of modernism, we are witnessing the increasing weakening of modernity.  

Abstract John Austin (1790-1859), an English jurist and legal philosopher, played an unparalleled role in the establishment of jurisprudence as an independent science.  Emphasizing positive law as the object of legal science and the analytical-conceptual method as its method of study, Austin, in his book "The Province of Jurisprudence Determined", paved the way for transforming law into an autonomous discipline. This article employs an analytical-conceptual approach to examine Austin's thought on the foundation of legal science. To this end, while reviewing Austin's life and times, the necessity of defining the province of jurisprudence and its distinction from other normative domains is explained. Subsequently, by elucidating the distinction between "law" and "the science of law," the difference between the natural object and the legal object, and positive law as the object of legal science, the concepts of sovereign and sovereignty in Austin's thought, and the issue of the validity of law and "habit of obedience" in the command theory of law are addressed.  Then, Austin's separation of law from morality is examined, and his project for transforming law into an independent science is described. The results of this research show that, despite all the criticisms leveled against him, Austin, by putting forward this idea, paved the way for the independence of legal science and its transformation into a distinct discipline, and his legacy remains alive and dynamic in legal discourse.

Abstract In an era where competition between businesses to achieve much narrower goals and establishing a two-way relationship with customers is much more difficult, understanding the position of public relations in organizations has a significant impact on their success and failure rates. The history of public relations is a vast repository of models and methods that attempt to help businesses achieve this. At the forefront of this field is Edward Bernays, who is often referred to as the father of public relations. His approaches in the 1920s not only changed the way companies interacted with their audiences, but also changed social norms. This article examines and evaluates Bernays's "Engineering of Consent" theory and tries to contribute to a better understanding of this theory with the help of integrated critique method including content, methodological and historical critiques. The results show that the urgent need of companies to sell their mass-produced products after the First World War forced Bernays to go for new methods in the field of audience persuasion. Using the principles of psychology, he was able to create a new approach in advertising and public relations; Although some find his methods deceptive.