An Analysis of the Causes Behind the Radicalization of Social Protests in Iran (A Study of Structural Factors through Craig Parsons’ Theoretical Framework)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Candidate, Department of Political Science and Islamic Revolution Studies, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Islamic Revolution Studies, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Since the second half of the 2010s, social protests in Iran have increasingly become radicalized. These protests are characterized by features such as their emergence in public streets, the intensification and expansion of violence, and the subversiveness of slogans and demands—all of which point to deep and fundamental shifts in the process of public demands. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the factors contributing to the radicalization of social protests in Iran, with a focus on structural causes. The main research question is: What are the main factors behind the radicalization of social protests in Iran? To address this, the study employs Craig Parsons' theoretical framework, which emphasizes a multifaceted analysis and the interaction of structural, institutional, psychological, and attitudinal factors in interpreting political and social phenomena. This article adopts a qualitative methodology using thematic analysis. In this approach, key themes and influential structural factors contributing to the radicalization of protests in Iran were extracted through the analysis of expert interviews and relevant academic literature. The study’s findings identify eleven major structural components at the macro level, which can be summarized as follows: crises of transitional societies, signs of an emerging state-nation divide, structural economic problems, generational shifts and the influence of Generation Z, the accumulation of social cleavages, structural transformation of the public sphere, political structures and the failure of reform processes, environmental and infrastructural crises, and Iran’s regional position and international stance. These structural factors, interacting with institutional, psychological, and attitudinal elements, have created the groundwork for the emergence and intensification of radical protests in Iran. Overcoming this situation requires reforming political and economic structures, strengthening public political and social participation, managing generational and cultural transformations, and creating formal and legal channels for expressing dissent.

Keywords

References

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Political Science
Volume 27, Issue 4 - Serial Number 108
October 2024
Pages 181-221

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