Analysis of the Process of Forming a Secular Identity of the State during the Pahlavi Era Based on Max Weber’s Theory of Identity

Abstract

Max Weber argues that the state is a human community that successfully seeks to monopolize the legitimate use of material forces and the means and instruments required to exercise its authority within a defined territorial domain. The friction between Iran and the West introduced secularism into the discourse of Iranian politics. The secular identity of the state took on a radical form during the reign of the first Pahlavi monarch and accelerated the secularization of culture in Iran. This study aims to examine the process of forming the secular identity of the state during the Pahlavi era based on Max Weber’s theory of identity, using a descriptive–analytical approach. The findings indicate that the Iranian secular identity was constructed by Iranian intellectuals, yet its political emergence did not stem from elections or the ideals of constitutionalism. Religious traditions were so deeply entrenched in Iranian society that even Reza Shah, recognized as the most prominent builder of the secular identity of the state in Iran’s modern history, was compelled to display religious pretenses. Nevertheless, the construction of a secular state identity was the result of Reza Shah’s specific policies to attract the support and approval of the clergy. Once Reza Shah had consolidated his power, the approval of the clergy no longer mattered to him, and the secular identity of the state ultimately emerged as a consequence of his authoritarian policies.