Bazaar and State in Iran: The Politics of the Tehran Marketplace (Cambridge Middle East Studies, Series Number 26)

The Tehran Bazaar has always been central to the Iranian economy and indeed, to the Iranian urban experience. Arang Keshavarzian's fascinating book compares the economics and politics of the marketplace under the Pahlavis, who sought to undermine it in the drive for modernisation and under the subsequent revolutionary regime, which came to power with a mandate to preserve the bazaar as an 'Islamic' institution. The outcomes of their respective policies were completely at odds with their intentions. Despite the Shah's hostile approach, the bazaar flourished under his rule and maintained its organisational autonomy to such an extent that it played an integral role in the Islamic revolution. Conversely, the Islamic Republic implemented policies that unwittingly transformed the ways in which the bazaar operated, thus undermining its capacity for political mobilisation. Arang Keshavarizian's book affords unusual insights into the politics, economics and society of Iran across four decades. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 4 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Maps......Page 10 Figures......Page 11 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Note on transliteration......Page 15 Map of Iran......Page 16 1 The puzzle of the Tehran Bazaar under the Pahlavi monarchy and the Islamic Republic......Page 17 Continuity, revolution, and state–society relations......Page 20 Studying transformative states......Page 26 What is beyond the state's vision?......Page 29 What generates governance when a group is beyond the state's vision?......Page 30 Variation in forms of governance......Page 32 The argument......Page 35 Networks as causal mechanisms......Page 39 Why the Tehran Bazaar?......Page 41 Temporality: synchronic and diachronic analysis......Page 42 Data collection......Page 45 Interviewing......Page 46 Participant Observation......Page 50 Primary and secondary texts......Page 53 2 Conceptualizing the bazaar......Page 55 A brief history of the Tehran Bazaar......Page 57 The bazaar as traditional type......Page 62 A note on cultural representations of the bazaar......Page 68 The Bazaar as a class......Page 72 The Bazaar as informal economy......Page 76 The Bazaar economy as a product of informational scarcity......Page 78 Beyond market and moral economy......Page 81 The Bazaar as networks......Page 86 Conclusions......Page 89 3 Bazaar transformations: networks, reputations, and solidarities......Page 90 Stable ties and roles within value chains......Page 93 Extending credit, relationships, and reputations across the Bazaar......Page 101 Crosscutting and multiplex social relationships......Page 107 Change in the Tehran Bazaar’s membership......Page 116 The consequences of fluid commercial relations and smuggling......Page 122 Heterogeneous social networks......Page 129 Acquisition and maintenance of reputation......Page 134 Reputation, inequality, and solidarity......Page 139 Conclusions......Page 141 4 Networks in the context of transformative agendas......Page 143 The Pahlavi regime and the Tehran Bazaar......Page 144 High modernism as a transformative program......Page 145 The replacing of traditional bazaars......Page 148 The Tehran Bazaar's autonomy......Page 151 Economic policies and the Bazaar's autonomy......Page 155 Spatial centralization and integration of the Bazaar's networks......Page 157 The Islamic Republic and the Tehran Bazaar......Page 162 Islamic populism: the pragmatism of a revolutionary regime......Page 163 Patronage: the solution to the Islamic Republic's Bazaar dilemma......Page 168 Repertoires of state incorporation......Page 173 Political incorporation......Page 177 Incorporation via regulation......Page 179 Incorporation via organizational competition......Page 182 The Bazaar's response: eluding the institutional setting......Page 186 Delocalizing the Bazaar......Page 192 Urbanization and technological developments......Page 194 Delocalization through policies......Page 196 Conclusions......Page 201 5 Carpets, tea, and teacups: commodity types and sectoral trajectories......Page 203 The carpet bazaar......Page 204 Information acquisition via cooperative hierarchies......Page 206 Situating the carpet sector in Iran's political economy......Page 211 Relations in the postrevolutionary carpet bazaar......Page 220 The tea bazaar......Page 222 Tea and the state......Page 224 Conclusions......Page 230 The china and glassware bazaar......Page 231 Comparisons and conclusions......Page 236 Group size......Page 237 Geographic dispersion of value chains......Page 238 Commodity type......Page 239 State regulation......Page 241 6 Networks of mobilization under two regimes......Page 244 Social movements and the mosque–bazaar alliance......Page 246 Bazaar mobilization with and without the clergy......Page 249 The tobacco protests (1890–2) and the Constitutional Revolution (1905–11)......Page 250 The Oil Nationalization Movement (1951–3)......Page 252 The anti-White Revolution protests (1963)......Page 254 The Islamic Revolution (1977–1979)......Page 256 Reflections on the mosque–bazaar alliance......Page 264 Transforming grievances and interests into mobilization......Page 271 Cooperative hierarchies as a foundation for collective action......Page 277 Coercive hierarchies as a source of quietism......Page 279 Conclusions......Page 284 7 Conclusions......Page 286 Insights from the Tehran Bazaar and the Iranian state......Page 290 Was the Islamic Revolution a social revolution?......Page 295 Selected bibliography......Page 299 Index......Page 314 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series-title 4 Title 5 Copyright 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 Maps 10 Figures 11 Acknowledgments 12 Note on transliteration 15 Map of Iran 16 1 The puzzle of the Tehran Bazaar under the Pahlavi monarchy and the Islamic Republic 17 Continuity, revolution, and state–society relations 20 Studying transformative states 26 What is beyond the state's vision? 29 What generates governance when a group is beyond the state's vision? 30 Variation in forms of governance 32 The argument 35 Networks as causal mechanisms 39 Case design and method 41 Why the Tehran Bazaar? 41 Temporality: synchronic and diachronic analysis 42 Data collection 45 Appendix: Methods of Data Collection and Evaluation 46 Interviewing 46 Participant Observation 50 Primary and secondary texts 53 2 Conceptualizing the bazaar 55 A brief history of the Tehran Bazaar 57 Four conceptions of the bazaar 62 The bazaar as traditional type 62 A note on cultural representations of the bazaar 68 The Bazaar as a class 72 The Bazaar as informal economy 76 The Bazaar economy as a product of informational scarcity 78 The Tehran Bazaar as an embedded network 81 Beyond market and moral economy 81 The Bazaar as networks 86 Conclusions 89 3 Bazaar transformations: networks, reputations, and solidarities 90 The cooperative hierarchies of the prerevolutionary Bazaar 93 Stable ties and roles within value chains 93 Extending credit, relationships, and reputations across the Bazaar 101 Crosscutting and multiplex social relationships 107 The coercive hierarchies of the postrevolutionary bazaar 116 Change in the Tehran Bazaar’s membership 116 The consequences of fluid commercial relations and smuggling 122 Heterogeneous social networks 129 Reputation and solidarity 134 Acquisition and maintenance of reputation 134 Reputation, inequality, and solidarity 139 Conclusions 141 4 Networks in the context of transformative agendas 143 The Pahlavi regime and the Tehran Bazaar 144 High modernism as a transformative program 145 The replacing of traditional bazaars 148 The Tehran Bazaar's autonomy 151 Economic policies and the Bazaar's autonomy 155 Spatial centralization and integration of the Bazaar's networks 157 The Islamic Republic and the Tehran Bazaar 162 Islamic populism: the pragmatism of a revolutionary regime 163 Patronage: the solution to the Islamic Republic's Bazaar dilemma 168 Repertoires of state incorporation 173 Methods of incorporation 177 Political incorporation 177 Incorporation via regulation 179 Incorporation via organizational competition 182 The Bazaar's response: eluding the institutional setting 186 Delocalizing the Bazaar 192 Urbanization and technological developments 194 Delocalization through policies 196 Conclusions 201 5 Carpets, tea, and teacups: commodity types and sectoral trajectories 203 The carpet bazaar 204 Information acquisition via cooperative hierarchies 206 Situating the carpet sector in Iran's political economy 211 Relations in the postrevolutionary carpet bazaar 220 The tea bazaar 222 Tea and the state 224 Conclusions 230 The china and glassware bazaar 231 Comparisons and conclusions 236 Group size 237 Geographic dispersion of value chains 238 Commodity type 239 State regulation 241 6 Networks of mobilization under two regimes 244 Social movements and the mosque–bazaar alliance 246 Bazaar mobilization with and without the clergy 249 The tobacco protests (1890–2) and the Constitutional Revolution (1905–11) 250 The Oil Nationalization Movement (1951–3) 252 The anti-White Revolution protests (1963) 254 The Islamic Revolution (1977–1979) 256 1975: a revolutionary situation, but nonrevolutionary outcome 264 Reflections on the mosque–bazaar alliance 264 Transforming grievances and interests into mobilization 271 Cooperative hierarchies as a foundation for collective action 277 Coercive hierarchies as a source of quietism 279 Conclusions 284 7 Conclusions 286 Insights from the Tehran Bazaar and the Iranian state 290 Was the Islamic Revolution a social revolution? 295 Selected bibliography 299 Index 314 The Tehran bazaar has always been central to the Iranian economy and, indeed, to the Iranian urban experience. Arang Kesharvarzian's fascinating book compares the economics and politics of the marketplace under the Pahlavis, who sought to undermine it in the drive for modernisation, and under the subsequent revolutionary regime, which came to power with a mandate to preserve the bazaar as an 'Islamic' institution. The outcomes of their respective policies were completely at odds with their intentions. Despite the Shah's hostile approach, the bazaar flourished under his rule, and maintained its organisational autonomy to such an extent that it played an integral role in the Islamic revolution. Conversely, the Islamic Republic implemented policies that unwittingly transformed the ways in which the bazaar operated, thus undermining its capacity for political mobilization. Arang Kesharvarzian's book affords unusual insights into the politics, economics and society of Iran across four decades The Tehran bazaar has always been central to the Iranian economy and, indeed, to the Iranian urban experience. Arang Keshavarzian's fascinating book compares the economics and politics of the marketplace under the Pahlavis, who sought to undermine it in the drive for modernization, and under the subsequent revolutionary regime, which came to power with a mandate to preserve the bazaar as an 'Islamic' institution. The outcomes of their respective policies were completely at odds with their intentions. Despite the Shah's hostile approach, the bazaar flourished under his rule, and maintained its organizational autonomy to such an extent that it played an integral role in the Islamic revolution. Conversely, the Islamic Republic implemented policies that unwittingly transformed the ways in which the Arang Keshavarzian's book affords unusual insights into the politics, economics and society of Iran across four decades. The Puzzle Of The Tehran Bazaar Under The Pahlavi Monarchy And The Islamic Republic -- Conceptualizing The Bazaar -- Bazaar Transformations : Networks, Reputations And Solidarities -- Networks In The Context Of Transformative Agendas -- Carpets, Tea, And Teacups : Commodity Types And Sectoral Trajectories -- Networks Of Mobilization Under Two Regimes. Arang Keshavarzian. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 283-297) And Index.