Islamic Republic Party as the Most Significant Political Community of Revolutionary Islam in Iran: origins and roots

Document Type : Research Paper

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Abstract

This study tries to examine the intellectual origins of the Islamic Republic Party as the most significant community of revolutionary Islam in the geographical atmosphere of Iran by using communitarian methodology. The methodology explains formation, rationality and crisis in intellectual traditions by specific criteria different from positivist methodologies and discourse analysis. It seems that through applying this methodology in Iran we can use native criteria in shaping intellectual-political currents in a better way. Therefore the main presumption of this article in responding the question of intellectual origins and roots of Islamic Republic Party is that it roots in the conflicts of constitutionalism, particularly sharia-based constitutionalism and radical Islamism of 1940s (Fadayian Islam). The results show that the Islamic Republic Party adopted its doctrines from these intellectual traditions, and through dialectical dialogue with some other intellectual traditions like Shiite constitutionalism, Islamic union and left Islamism entered some new doctrines but maintained its own main doctrines. This study has tried to use documentary sources and oral history for examining the above hypothesis in order to present a new narrative.

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