Political Participation In Iran From Khatami To The Green Movement (middle East Today)

'Based on years of field research with activists and civil society groups, the analysis offers a careful look at how regime-citizen relations have evolved and how even micro-shifts in those relations--changes that seem insignificant in the near term--can create the potential for greater challenges down the road.' --Jillian Schwedler, Professor of Political Science, Hunter College, USA 'This is a major contribution to understanding how social movements create spaces of autonomy and popular counterpower from below.' --Kaveh Ehsani, Assistant Professor of International Studies, DePaul University, USA 'Through grounded analysis and patient observation, this book transforms our understanding of the interaction between institutional politics and political contestation in authoritarian contexts.' --Frédéric Vairel, Associate Professor of Political Studies, University of Ottawa, Canada This book examines the unintended consequences of top-down reforms in Iran, analysing how the Iranian reformist governments (1997-2005) sought to utilise gradual reforms to control independent activism, and how citizens responded to such a disciplinary action. While the governments successfully 'set the field' of permitted political participation, part of the civil society that took shape was unexpectedly independent. Despite being a minority, independent activists were not marginal: without them, in fact, the Green Movement of 2009 would not have taken shape. Building on in-depth empirical analysis, the author explains how autonomous activism forms and survives in a semi-authoritarian country. The book contributes to the debate about the implications of elite-led reforms for social reproduction, offering an innovative interpretation and an original analysis of social movements from a political science perspective. Paola Rivetti is Assistant Professor in Politics and International Relations in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University, Ireland Preface 6 Acknowledgment 11 A Note on Translation, Transliteration, and Dates 12 Praise For Political Participation In Iran From Khatami To The Green Movement 13 Contents 15 About the Author 18 Abbreviations 19 Chapter 1: Reformism and Political Participation in Iran 20 Political Change and Participation 20 The Short-Circuit 24 Locating Political Participation and Reformism in the Relevant Scholarship 25 Five Elements of Iran’s Dissonant Institutionalisation 28 Approaching Eslahat 30 Non-insularity 30 Power and Reformism: Contesting Governmentality 33 Securitised Research: Navigating Fieldwork in Iran 35 The Geopolitics of Political Participation 37 Searching for Political Participation 39 Book Content 42 References 44 Chapter 2: Political Participation in Context: Reformism and Elite Factionalism After the Iran-Iraq War 50 The Foundations of Factional Politics 51 Mobilising the Democratic Discourse: The velayat-e motlaqeh-ye faqih and the Constitutional Reform 53 Mapping Iran’s Factions 58 The Rise of the Islamic Right and the Origin of Reformism During the 1990s 60 The Decline of the Islamic Left 60 The Islamic Left’s Objections Against Marginalisation 64 The Convergence of the Democratic Left and Right 65 Political Expediency and the Transformation of the Islamic Left 70 The Reform Era (1997–2005) 70 The Reformists’ Discursive Frames and Factional Conflicts 71 Trends and Groups Within the Reformist Front 73 Two Phases of the Reform Era 76 Conclusion 79 References 80 Chapter 3: Reformism As a Governmental Project: The ‘Reform Discourse’ and Political Participation 84 The Power of Discourse, the Discourse of Power 85 Shifting Persuasions 90 Recurring Themes 99 National History, Anti-Authoritarianism, and Moderation 100 Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law 105 Civil Society and Participation 108 Conclusion 111 References 111 Chapter 4: Civil Society: Crafting Consensus from Above, Appropriating Reformism from Below 117 Theorising Civil Society As a Field 119 The Contours of Political Participation and the Morality of Civil Society 121 International Civil Society and Its Domestic Configuration 121 Reclaiming Civil Society 125 Structuring Civil Society During the Reform Era: Political Parties and NGOs 127 Two Phases of Civil Society-Government Relations (1997–2005) 131 Building Subjectivities and Mentality 132 Reasons to Commit, Aspirations to Modernity, and Contention 134 Professionalisation: Independence from and Closeness to the Government 140 Conclusion: Emerging Political Agency 147 References 148 Chapter 5: The Formation of Residual Counterpower and Autonomous Subjectivity During and After the Reform Era 152 The Unintended Consequences of Top-Down Reforms 154 Surpluses of Participation During the Reform Era 158 Frustration and Disillusionment with Reformism 158 Marginalisation, Radicalisation, and Alternatives to Reform: Student Activism During the Reform Era 163 Residual Counterpower and Activism Post-2005: Mobilisation Strategies and Grassroots Organising, Networking, and Campaigning 171 The One Million Signatures Campaign 173 Negotiating Strategies of Mobilisation After Eslahat 173 Women’s Activist Networks After the OMS Campaign 178 Conclusion 180 On-Campus Activism 181 Two Phases of Post-2005 Student Activism (2005–2009): Phase One 181 Phase Two: The 2009 Election and the Revival of Student Activism 184 Conclusion: The Potential and Limits of Residual Counterpower 186 References 188 Chapter 6: Cycles of Hope, Eslahat, and the State 193 Ordinary Discontent and Extraordinary Mobilisations in Iran and Beyond: The Book’s Main Argument 193 Ordinary Discontent 193 Extraordinary Mobilisations 196 Resistance and Hope 198 Hope and the State in Post-2009 Iran 200 Cycles of Hope and Eslahat 203 Conclusion 205 References 206 Index 209 Front Matter ....Pages i-xxiii Reformism and Political Participation in Iran (Paola Rivetti)....Pages 1-30 Political Participation in Context: Reformism and Elite Factionalism After the Iran-Iraq War (Paola Rivetti)....Pages 31-64 Reformism As a Governmental Project: The ‘Reform Discourse’ and Political Participation (Paola Rivetti)....Pages 65-97 Civil Society: Crafting Consensus from Above, Appropriating Reformism from Below (Paola Rivetti)....Pages 99-133 The Formation of Residual Counterpower and Autonomous Subjectivity During and After the Reform Era (Paola Rivetti)....Pages 135-175 Cycles of Hope, Eslahat, and the State (Paola Rivetti)....Pages 177-192 Back Matter ....Pages 193-202