Features of the State and pre-industrial Society in Iran in the Intellectual System of Patricia Crone

Salmani, Mohammad Matin; Nassaj, Hamid

doi:10.22034/ipsa.2024.496

Features of the State and pre-industrial Society in Iran in the Intellectual System of Patricia Crone

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran

10.22034/ipsa.2024.496

Abstract

To explain the political and social situation of Iran before encountering the modern era, theories such as Oriental despotism, Oriental autocratic governments, or Sultanism, which is also known as the Eastern bureaucratic government, are generally used. In contrast, these theories seem to be more of an attempt to adapt history to theory rather than trying to shape the theory through historical materials and elements. In this article, while critiquing the shortcomings of the aforementioned theories, an attempt is made to address the inquiry posed by Patricia Crone in her book “Pre-Industrial Societies”. The framework she presented in her book and the evidence gleaned from other studies serve to answer the question of how the historical sociology of Iran came about and how the tensions between the state and society in pre-industrial Iran were shaped by the factors that influenced its formulation. Additionally, she explores the impact of this conflict on the Is, such as the Abbasid Revolution (SiahJamegan), "SepidJamegan” and "Ismailis” The selected hypothesis in this article is that the traditional governments have been unable to deal with these movements due to their thin and fragile nature, and even the small population movements could have occupied the central governments for years. Several examples of pre-industrial governments present in the history of Iranian civilization were examined in this research. The findings of this research show that pre-industrial governments as depicted by Crone are weak, and this weakness is evident in the results.

Keywords