Between palace and prison: Towards a reflexive history of academic sociology in Iran

Abstract

The Institute for Social Studies and Research, founded in 1958, provided a framework for research and teaching modern social sciences, especially sociology, in Iran. The political climate of post-Second World War Iran, that delivered neither the full benefits of freedom nor the true powers of censorship, fostered both resilience and pragmatism among the founders and leading figures in the Institute. The outcome was a brand of applied sociology that strived to provide scientific guidance for the state’s modernization project while trying to maintain independence and critical distance. The resulting tensions are both unique to Iran and, at the same time, indicative of larger global trends.