Double-Thinking and Contradictory Arrangements in Iranian Law and Society
Banakar, Reza LU
(2018)
In Digest of Middle East Studies
27(1).
p.6-33
- Abstract
- Although thinking double thoughts and living dual lives are not specifically Iranian traits, Iranians have, nevertheless, become more susceptible to them for historical reasons, which may be traced back to when Persians became Muslims. The gradual normalization of double‐thinking over the centuries has given rise to social and political patterns of behavior and institutional arrangements which oscillate between opposing regimes of truths and different sets of ethical concerns, often without merging them into a new process. Once double‐thinking is normalized at the level of society, it helps people to cope with the cognitive dissonance they experience in circumstances where it is difficult to change attitude and behavior. It also affects... (More)
- Although thinking double thoughts and living dual lives are not specifically Iranian traits, Iranians have, nevertheless, become more susceptible to them for historical reasons, which may be traced back to when Persians became Muslims. The gradual normalization of double‐thinking over the centuries has given rise to social and political patterns of behavior and institutional arrangements which oscillate between opposing regimes of truths and different sets of ethical concerns, often without merging them into a new process. Once double‐thinking is normalized at the level of society, it helps people to cope with the cognitive dissonance they experience in circumstances where it is difficult to change attitude and behavior. It also affects the organization of society by making contradictory arrangements appear normal. It promotes reflexive thinking and subversive action as much as it facilitates misrecognition of sociopolitical suppression and legitimization of symbolic violence. This state of affairs generates a form of modernity which appears, at least on the surface, to be comfortable with contradictory social arrangements, while deep down it remains ill at ease with its inner contradictions.
(Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
Although thinking double thoughts and living dual lives are not specifically Iranian traits, Iranians have nevertheless become more susceptible to them for historical reasons, which may be traced back to when Persians became Muslims. The gradual normalization of double-thinking over the centuries has given rise to social and political patterns of behavior and institutional arrangements which oscillate between opposing regimes of truths and different sets of ethical concerns, often without merging them into a new process. Once double-thinking is normalized at the level of society, it helps people to cope with the cognitive dissonance they experience in circumstances where it is difficult to change attitude and behavior. It also affects... (More)
Although thinking double thoughts and living dual lives are not specifically Iranian traits, Iranians have nevertheless become more susceptible to them for historical reasons, which may be traced back to when Persians became Muslims. The gradual normalization of double-thinking over the centuries has given rise to social and political patterns of behavior and institutional arrangements which oscillate between opposing regimes of truths and different sets of ethical concerns, often without merging them into a new process. Once double-thinking is normalized at the level of society, it helps people to cope with the cognitive dissonance they experience in circumstances where it is difficult to change attitude and behavior. It also affects the organization of society by making contradictory arrangements appear normal. It promotes reflexive thinking and subversive action as much as it facilitates misrecognition of socio-political suppression and legitimization of symbolic violence. This state of affairs generates a form of modernity which appears, at least on the surface, to be comfortable with contradictory social arrangements, while deep down it remains ill at ease with its inner contradictions.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/f5bd7e9e-03fd-489c-95aa-aebe44057908
- author
- Banakar, Reza
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2018-05
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Iran, Law, Shari'a, Shi'ism, Constitution, Maslahat-e Nezam, Cognitive dissonance, doublethink, secularism, Modernity, Legitimacy, Legal System, Iran, Law, Legal system, Double-thinking, Cognitive dissonance, Shari'a, Maslahat-e Nezam, Secular and Religious Concerns, modernity, Constitution, Legitimacy
- in
- Digest of Middle East Studies
- volume
- 27
- issue
- 1
- article number
- 27(1)
- pages
- 27 pages
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85050746992
- ISSN
- 1949-3606
- DOI
- 10.1111/dome.12123
- project
- Iranian Legal Profession
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- f5bd7e9e-03fd-489c-95aa-aebe44057908
- date added to LUP
- 2018-02-03 12:07:17
- date last changed
- 2024-01-14 14:36:58
@article{f5bd7e9e-03fd-489c-95aa-aebe44057908,
abstract = {{Although thinking double thoughts and living dual lives are not specifically Iranian traits, Iranians have, nevertheless, become more susceptible to them for historical reasons, which may be traced back to when Persians became Muslims. The gradual normalization of double‐thinking over the centuries has given rise to social and political patterns of behavior and institutional arrangements which oscillate between opposing regimes of truths and different sets of ethical concerns, often without merging them into a new process. Once double‐thinking is normalized at the level of society, it helps people to cope with the cognitive dissonance they experience in circumstances where it is difficult to change attitude and behavior. It also affects the organization of society by making contradictory arrangements appear normal. It promotes reflexive thinking and subversive action as much as it facilitates misrecognition of sociopolitical suppression and legitimization of symbolic violence. This state of affairs generates a form of modernity which appears, at least on the surface, to be comfortable with contradictory social arrangements, while deep down it remains ill at ease with its inner contradictions. <br/>}},
author = {{Banakar, Reza}},
issn = {{1949-3606}},
keywords = {{Iran; Law; Shari'a; Shi'ism; Constitution; Maslahat-e Nezam; Cognitive dissonance; doublethink; secularism; Modernity; Legitimacy; Legal System; Iran; Law; Legal system; Double-thinking; Cognitive dissonance; Shari'a; Maslahat-e Nezam; Secular and Religious Concerns; modernity; Constitution; Legitimacy}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{6--33}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Digest of Middle East Studies}},
title = {{Double-Thinking and Contradictory Arrangements in Iranian Law and Society}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/dome.12123}},
doi = {{10.1111/dome.12123}},
volume = {{27}},
year = {{2018}},
}