Iranian Journal of Sociology

Abstract The most common theory in religious studies regarding official and popular religion considers the former as the view of the official religious institution, and the latter as the beliefs and practices prevalent among the masses. Given the lack of official religious organizations in Islamic societies, a different formulation has been proposed that considers official religion as the normative opinions of religious scholars. In the case of Kurdistan, we are faced with a different form of Islam called Sufi Islam, which poses different problems in applying the former mentioned theory. Accordingly, we have attempted to use a different analytical framework that defines the distinction between popular and official based on the form of religious experiences. To this end, we have first examined the historical processes that influenced the formation of Sufi Islam, and finally we undertook a theoretical analysis of a new formulation of the distinction between popular and official Islams
 

Abstract This article analyzes the pre-modern state of Iran in the Qajar period by describing and using historical data. Its method is descriptive-analytical with the approach of historical sociology, which has used the technique of document review. The findings show: 1. Taxes and customs duties were the only sources of government revenue; Weak taxation and widespread corruption put the government in incurable financial straits. 2. The inability to pay the troops and maintain them permanently made it impossible to form military forces independent of the tribes, and the government was incapable of defending its borders and internal control. 3. The judicial system did not have a  unified procedure for passing and enforcing a law. These matters were left to influential people and local authorities outside capital and regional centres. 4. Power of bureacracy was almost limited to Tehran and it was not able to defend national borders. 5 On the other hand, the society was powerful. With different modes of production, military power and great solidarity, the tribes were  power centers independent  of established government. The above characteristics show that pre-modern government of Iran is inconsistent with the claim of the Asian mode of production theory that the state is powerful and has a comprehensive and centralized bureaucracy.Iranian society was also a strong and decentralized. Therefore, in order to understand Iranian society better, we should search for other more explainig theories and avoid orientalist perspective. 

Abstract One of the basic concerns in historical sociology is how the West developed with an emphasis on Britain. Despite the current belief that the time for such discussions has passed, this question is still one of the most basic and lively questions in various debates in historical sociology. Although Orientalism influences the current literature in this field, but it is totally different from what has been popularized under the title of Orientalism in Iran. This article aims to introduce one of the most controversial theories in the last two decades, which has simultaneously affected the fields of economic history and historical sociology. First, it is tried to explain the theoretical foundations of the Asian revisionism (California School) and its relationship with the theory of the great Divergence, then the empirical studies that have been carried out in the last two decades in this field are examined, and finally, some of the most important criticisms of the above theory are reviewed. Also, in a critical discussion, we examine the relationship of this current of thought in historical sociology with Foucault's view that dominates some works of historical sociology in Iran.
 

Abstract  
The present article aims to study and analyze the advent of new middle class in Iran society via studying different lifestyle indices such as architecture, social relationships, and leisure time in order to clarify new middle class members’ thoughts, values, and worldview in the first Pahlavi era.
To carry out the research in this direction, it was designed to employ historical method and qualitative content analysis focusing on architecture and literature as two salient fields, and analyze different primary and secondary sources such as books, novels, reports, and etc. Based on the findings of research, considering architecture evolution and reviewing selected novels of that time indicate the advent of new middle class and its distinctive lifestyle in the first Pahlavi era. The review and analysis of collected information indicate individualism, nationalism, and modernism as the most crucial categories which illustrate new middle class values and worldview in the first Pahlavi era.