Paradoxes of Iranian Messianic Politics: Paradoxes of Iranian Messianic Politics

Shahi, Afshin

Abstract

Shi‘ite Messianism has been accommodated constitutionally and has been portrayed as an indispensable aspect of political culture under the Islamic Republic. If the state is using the concept as a form of legitimacy, the concept is standardized in accordance with the prevailing perspectives of the political system. Thus, if there are other emerging grassroots messianic narratives incompatible with the political ideology, they could undermine the legitimacy of the state. This article examines the emerging paradoxes in a climate in which the state uses messianism as a legitimacy tool but, at the same time, is unable to monopolize the concept primarily for its own use. This article will assess a situation in which the state and the grassroots are struggling in order to maintain dominance over ideas that advocate millenarianism. There will be a critical discussion on how the politics of the Shi‘ite Messianism have proved to be contradictory, and the dilemmas over the politicization of Mahdism will be identified.

Citation

Shahi, A. (2012). Paradoxes of Iranian Messianic Politics: Paradoxes of Iranian Messianic Politics. Digest of Middle East Studies, 21(1), 108-125. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-3606.2012.00129.x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: May 1, 2012
• Publication Date: 2012-03
• Deposit Date: Aug 31, 2023
• Journal: Digest of Middle East Studies
• Print ISSN: 1060-4367
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 108-125
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-3606.2012.00129.x
• Keywords: Law; Political Science and International Relations; Sociology and Political Science; Religious studies; History; Cultural Studies