The Problem of Citizenship in Contemporary Iran with a focus on Habermas’s Theory of Discursive Citizenry

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate professor, Department of Political Sciences, Mofid University, Qom, Iran

2 PhD student, Iran Issues, Department of Political Sciences, Mofid University, Qom, Iran

10.22081/psq.2023.66285.2773

Abstract

The issue of citizenship is a contentious topic in political thought and a complex matter in contemporary Iran's political landscape due to conflicting viewpoints. This divergence stems from fundamental disagreements on core principles, making it even more challenging to resolve. Despite some general consensus on certain principles in the modern world, the problem of citizenship remains a subject of controversy. The clash between liberal and republican perspectives on citizenship can be seen as an aspect of this difficulty. In an attempt to address this problem, Habermas has introduced the concept of discursive citizenry theory as a potential solution. The primary question at hand is how we can navigate the issue of citizenship in light of Habermas's viewpoint on communicative citizenry, considering the conflicting approaches prevalent in contemporary Iran. This article employs the descriptive-analytical method to argue that the concept of discursive citizenry can draw upo n various elements, such as tradition, modernity, religion, and nationalism, to address the issue of citizenship in contemporary Iran. The problem of citizenship in Iran has emerged due to conflicting conservative and modernist approaches, and the article proposes a reformative citizenship approach as a potential solution. Additionally, it draws inspiration from Habermas's perspective to explore an alternative classification of the issue of citizenship in contemporary Iran and the role of law in bridging the gap between contradictory approaches.

Keywords

References

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