The relationship between government and society in the Safavid era in the light of Joel Migdal's theory

Baratipour, Hasan; Rahbar, Ahoura; Manshadi, Morteza

doi:10.22034/ipsa.2022.461

The relationship between government and society in the Safavid era in the light of Joel Migdal's theory

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Hasan Baratipour ¹

Ahoura Rahbar ²

Morteza Manshadi ³

¹ Ph.D Candidate, Department of Political Science, Neyshabur Branch, Islamic Azad University, Neyshabur, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Islamic Azad University of Neishabour

³ Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

https://doi.org/10.22034/ipsa.2022.461

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between government and society in the Safavid era in the light of Joel Migdal's theory. In response to the question that according to the Magdalen model, what was the relationship between the government and society in the Safavid period? It was hypothesized that during this period, the special role of the clergy and Ghezelbash forces indicated the non-monopoly of the state institution and the complexity of government-society relations, and that a strong government was not formed for change and transformation. With a sociological approach and in the framework of Magdalen theoretical consideration and in the form of a qualitative and understanding method of the government and society of Safavid Iran and the collection of documents and information libraries; It was found that in the theocratic and bureaucratic structure of the Safavid state, the clergy acted as intermediaries for the Shah and the people and the Ghezelbash forces as a military force; Their special role has been to express the non-monopoly of the institution of government and the complexity of government-society relations. High levels of social control, countering foreign aggression, extracting resources, and organizing people for social change have been among the reasons for the formation of a weak government. The distribution of resources is not extensive and networked and is slow. Due to the formation of power networks and groups in society, a strong government has not been formed for change and has been limited by power networks.

Keywords

Keywords: strong and weak government

Network community

Joel Migdal

Social forces

Safavid era

20.1001.1.1735790.1401.17.3.2.6

Subjects

Aghajari, Seyyed Hashem. (2002). Clergy and Monarchy in Safavid Iran, Ph.D Thesis, Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University. (Persian)
Aghajari, Seyyed Hashem (2008). The role of religion and government in Safavid Iran, Tehran: Baz. (Persian)
Aghajari, Seyyed Hashem (2009). An introduction to the relationship between religion and government in Safavid Iran, second edition, Tehran: Tarh-e Nu. (Persian)
Aghili, Seyed Ahmad (2012). "The ratio of political sovereignty and economic life in the first period of Safavid rule", Quarterly History of Islam and Iran, 25 (28): 171 213. (Persian)
Aghili, Seyed Ahmad (2015). "Historical analysis of the performance of Qazalbashan before and after the establishment of the Safavid government", Journal of Historical Researches of Iran and Islam, 10 (18): 135 162. (Persian)
Ansari, Samia; Hasni, Attaullah (2019). "The effect of the conflict of Sepahs and Dargahs on political instability at the end of the Safavid period (1135 1077 AH/ 1722 1667 AD)", Iranian History Journal, 13 (1): 29 50. (Persian)
Arjomand, Said Amir (1983). "The Offiice of Mulla-Bashi in Shi'ite Iran", Studia Islamica, 57 (2), page 135-146. https://doi.org/10.2307/1595486
Azad Aramaki, Taghi (2004). Iranian hangouts and modernity, Tehran: Loh-e Fekr. (Persian)
Badee, Bertran; Birnbom, Pir (1999). Sociology of government, translated by Ahmed Naqibzadeh, Tehran: Baz. (Persian)
Baghestani, Mohammad (1999). "Establishment of the Safavid Government", Jurisprudence Journal, 7 (25): 375 431. (Persian)
Bashiriyeh, Hossein (2004). Obstacles to political development in Iran, fifth edition, Tehran: Gam-e Nu. (Persian)
Bashiriyeh, Hossein (2017). Political sociology, the role of social forces in political life, twenty-seventh edition, Tehran: Ney. (Persian)
Bastani Parisi, Mohammad Ibrahim (1998). Politics and Economy of the Safavid Era, Tehran: Safi Alishah. (Persian)
Chardin, Jean (1945). Travelogue, translated by Mohammad Abbasi. Collection of 10 volumes, volumes 3, 4, 7 and 8, Tehran: Amir Kabir. (Persian)
Farhani Monfared, Mahdi (2008). Migration of Shia scholars from Jabal Amal to Iran. Second edition, Tehran: Amir Kabir. (Persian)
Farmayan, Hafez (1969). The Beginnings of Modernization in Iran. The Policies and Reforms of Shah Abbas I (1587-1629). Middle East Center Research Monograph number 1 (Salt Lake City: University of Utah), 5: Mazzaoui, The Origins of the Safavids, 15; and Savory, Iran under the Safawids, 45-46.
Feirahi, Davoud. (2016). The History of State Transformation in Islam. Qom: Mofid University Publications. (Persian)
Figueroa, Dan Garcia (1363). Travelogue. translated by Gholamreza Samiei, Tehran: Nu. (Persian)
Foran, John (2014). Fragile resistance: the history of Iran's social developments: from 1500 AD corresponding to 879 AD to the revolution. Translated by Ahmed Tadayyon, fifth edition, Tehran: Rasa . (Persian)
Ferrier, Red (1998). Women in Safavid Iran: The Evidence of European Travelers”, in G.R. Hambly (ed.) Women in the Medieval Islamic World: Power Patronage and Piety, New York: St. Martin’s Press, page 383-406.
Garthwaite, Jane Ralph (2007). Political History of Iran from the Achaemenid Empire until now. translated by Gholamreza Ali Babaei, Tehran: Akhtaran. (Persian)
Ghaffarifard, Abbasqoli; Navaei, Abdul Hossein (2011). History of Iran's political, social, economic and cultural developments during the Safavid era. Tehran: Samt. (Persian)
Gore, Jean (2010). Qazalbash Shah Shah Abbas Kabir. translated by Bahram Afrasiabi, Tehran: Negah. (Persian)
Hafez Nia, Mohammad Reza; Parsani, Ismail; Hosseinpour, Reza (2010). "A comparative study of the impact of local institutions before and after the Islamic Revolution on citizen participation", Human Geography Research, 5 (77): 125-146. (Persian)
Hafez Nia, Mohammad Reza; Vali Qolizadeh, Ali (2006). "Safavid government and Iranian identity", National Studies Quarterly, 8 (4): 3 30. (Persian)
Houshang Mahdavi, Abdul Reza (2016). History of Iran's foreign relations (from the beginning of the Safavid era to the end of World War II), 21st edition, Tehran: Amirkabir. (Persian)
Jafarian, Rasool (1991). Religion and Politics in the Safavid Period. Qom: Ansarian. (Persian)
Jamalzadeh, Nasser; Dorosti, Ahmed (2009). "Historical Sociology of the State: Disruption in the Connection of the Elites and the Construction of the State in the Safavid Era". Political Knowledge, 6 (2): 73 106. (Persian)
Jamli Carreri, Giovanni Francesco (2013). Travelogue. translated by Abbas Nakhjovani and Abdul Ali Karang, Tehran: Elmi- Farhangi. (Persian)
Janabadi, Mirzabig bin Hassan (1999). Rouza al-Safawieh, by the effort of Gholamreza Tabatabaei Majd, Tehran: Mowghoofat Afshar. (Persian)
Kaempfer, Engelbert (1980). Kempfer's travelogue. translated by Kikavos Jahandari, Tehran: Kharazmi. (Persian)
Kamali, Massoud (2011). Civil society, government and modernization in Iran. translated by Kamal Pouladi, Tehran: Markaz-e Bazshenasi Islam and Iran. (Persian)
Karimi, Zahra; Khorrami, Azadeh (2014). "Investigating the economic performance of Iran in the Safavid era and comparing it with 17th century Europe with an institutional approach", Journal of Planning and Budget, 20 (2): 143 180. (Persian)
Katouzian, Mohammad Ali Homayoun (1989). "Democracy and Dictatorship and Nation's Responsibility", Journal of Political and Economic Information, 1 (68): 4 7. (Persian)
Keshavarz, Zahrasadat; Chalongar, Mohammad Ali; Montazer al-Qaim, Asghar (2016). "Explanation and analysis of the role of social classes in the civilizational process of the Safavid state", Quarterly History of Islam and Iran, 27 (34): 139 163. (Persian)
Khanji, Amirhossein (2010). Ghazalbashan in Iran. Tehran: Electronics. (Persion)
Khansari Isfahani, Mohammad Baqer (2010). Ruzat al-Jannat fi Ahwal Ulama and al-Sadat, fifth volume, Qom: Ismailian. (Persian)
Kiywani, Mahdi (2012). Craftsmen and their trade life in the Safavid era. translated by Yazdan Farrokhi, Tehran: Amir Kabir. (Persian)
Lambach, Daniel. (2004). State in Society: Joel Migdal and the limits of state authority, in Political Concepts beyond the Nation State: Cosmopolitanism, territoriality, democracy”, Copenhagen: Danish Political Theory Network.
Migdal, Joel. (1988). Strong societies and weak states; state- society Relationship and state capabilities in the third worlds, Princeton university press.
Migdal, Joel (2015). Government in society. translated by Mohammad Taghi Delfrooz, Tehran: Kavir. (Persian)
Mir Ahmadi, Maryam (1980). Religion and religion in the Safavid era. Tehran: Amir Kabir. (Persian)
Mirzasamia, Mohammad Sami (1985). Tadzkire al-Muluk. by Mohammad Dabir Siyaghi, Tehran: Amirkabir. (Persian)
Monshi Qomi, Ahmad bin Hossein (2001). Summary of Al-Tawarikh. corrected by Ehsan Eshraghi, second edition, Tehran: Tehran University Publications. (Persian)
Monshi Turkmen, Skanderbeek (2007). History of the Abbasid world, by Iraj Afshar, 4th edition, Tehran: Amir Kabir. (Persian)
Mortazavi, Seyyed Khodayar; Rezaei Hosseinabadi, Mustafa; Qaraati, Ordvan (2014). "Shi'ism Discourse and National Identity Building in Safavid Iran", Islamic World Political Research, 5 (3): 157 182. (Persian)
Najafzadeh, Mahdi (2007). "Rereading the power relationship in Iran, weak government and strong society", Political and International Approaches, 13 (5): 75 95. (Persian)
Najafzadeh, Mahdi; Abbasi Shahkooh, Mahdi (2012). "The consequences of the construction of the modern Pahlavi I government on Iran's network society", Political Studies, 5 (20): 69 90. (Persian)
Navidi, Dariush (2006). Socio-economic changes in Safavid Iran. translated by Hashim Aghajari, second edition, Tehran: Ney. (Persian)
Parsania, Hamid (1996). Hadith Peymaneh. Qom: Moavenat-e omur-e asatid. (Persian)
Pargho, Mohammad Ali (2018). Jahangeshai Khaqan (History of Shah Ismail), 2nd edition, Tabriz: Tabriz University Publications. (Persian)
Phalsafi, Nasrullah (1989). The life of Shah Abbas I. Fourth edition, Tehran: Elmi. (Persian)
Pigoloskaya, Ninaviktorovna (1983). History of Iran from ancient times to the end of the 18th century. translated by Karim Keshavarz, fifth edition, Tehran: Payam. (Persian)
Ranjbar, Mohammad Ali; Sadat Hosseini, Ansieh (2015). "The interaction of religion and government during the period of Shah Safi", Historical Research Quarterly, 52 (3): 95 110. (Persian)
Rekabian, Rashid (2018). "Explaining the relationship between the state and society in the era of Reza Shah", Political Studies, 11 (44): 117 142. (Persian)
Romelu, Hassan (2004). Ahsan al-Tawarikh. by Abdul Hossein Navaei, Tehran: Asatir. (Persian)
Sadaqat, Qasim Ali (2004). "Spirituality and interaction with the government in the fundamental rights of the Safavid era", Marafet, 5 (93): 81 91. (Persian)
Safakish, Hamidreza (2018). Safavids at the crossroads of history. Tehran: Sokhan. (Persian)
Safavi, Tahmasab (1983). Shah Tehmasab's Tadzkire. Tehran: Sharq. (Persian)
Safizadeh, Farooq. (2012). A new look at Safavid era. Tehran: Iran Jam. (Persian)
Sotoudefar, Mahdi; Jadidi, Nasser; Qolizadeh, Azar (2017). "A sociological analysis of religious superstition in the era of the Safavid Shahs", Applied Sociology, 29 (3): 139-155. (Persian)
Samiei Esfahani, Alireza (2007). "Strong society, weak state, sociological explanation of state-society relations in Qajar era Iran", Political Quarterly, 38 (3): 117 143. (Persian)
Siuory, Rager (1998). Safavid Iran, translated by Kambiz Azizi, 7th edition, Tehran: Center Publications. Chardin, Jean (1945). Travelogue, translated by Mohammad Abbasi. Collection of 10 volumes, volumes 3, 4, 7 and 8, first edition, Tehran: Amir Kabir Publishing House. (Persian)
Shamlou, Vali Qoli Beig (1991). Al-Khaqani stories. revised by Seyyed Hassan Sadat Naseri, first volume, Tehran: Samt. (Persian)
Shariati, Shahrouz; Abbasi Shahkoh, Mahdi (2014). "The self-esteem of networked civil society in Iran, rereading the relationship between the government and the Iranian society at the beginning of the first Pahlavi era with an emphasis on the role of the teacher", Research Journal of Political Science, 10 (37): 37 62. (Persian)
Tavernier, Jean Baptiste (2003). Travelogue of Tavernieh. translated by Hamid Arbab Shirani, Tehran: Nilofar. (Persian)
Tupper, Richard (2009). Tribes in the 18th and 19th centuries: The Cambridge History of Iran, translated by Timur Qadri, Tehran: Mahtab. (Persian)
Zareian, Maryam (2011). "Clerical relations with the government in the Safavid era", Historical Sociology, 4 (2): 87 116. (Persian)