اقتصاد سياسي علوم اجتماعي در ايران: چالشها و فرصتها

Political Economy of the Social Science in Iran: Challenges and Opportunities

Political Economy of the Social Science in Iran: Challenges and Opportunities Hossein Raghfar This article looks at some obstacles of the social science development in Iran. It assumes that society is based on a power structure and hence the social science, as an integrated part of scientific and cultural aspects of every society, cannot function and be analyzed separated from power relations. Social science in Iran is not an exception and has always been affected by power structure and relations. Crisis in the social science theory and methodology in Iran is the product of numerous factors; one is domination of the formal vision – acting as a dominant ideology in power relations – which requires theories be matched with their expectations. Hencea critical approach, which is a stimulus for growth and enrichment of social science, has not foundits roots in the official research. Political economy of Iran has dominated relationships in a society where there is no need to produce science, in general and social science in particular. This is why the presence of social science in policy making has not been welcomed by the conservatives in the power structure. This is why two primary goals of social science – i.e., growth of knowledge and contribution to the public policy – have not been manifested. Research and academia systems in Iran are prevented from establishing a university-based dialogue. These limitations are mainly products of a lack of philosophy of organization of the sciences in Iran, which in itselfis a byproduct of cultural and political barriers stemming from the contemporary political economy of Iran. The social science has a rich potential to make a desirable society in Iran and to contribute to the political project of national development. This contribution can be materialized provided some conditions are met. One is that to understand the overall achievement of the social science –i.e., social science theories are only conjectures of the outer realities and social phenomena – amends expectations of the political elites and social science researchers from social science potentials. This fact erects the views of the former and provides a better interaction to the latter. The social science can be committed to a future that makespossible adjustment to changing circumstances. Although unprecedented for control, information technology has provided new frontiers to human beingsʹ capacities that by changing organization of work, production and power relations it has created new opportunities for individual freedom and public participation, transforming our understanding of social phenomena. Thus, we can expect that social science in Iran too can reconstruct itself using these new capacities. Nevertheless, in this reconstruction process, reviewing dominant discourses of social science and incorporating indigenous cultural elements constitute a necessary condition. Keywords: Social science mission, Critical approach, Politicized social science, Political economy of network, Information commodity.