Sociological Theorization in Iran: A Study from the Perspective of Sociology of Sociology

In contrast to what is expected by the zealous Muslim intellectuals and students, indigenous or locally produced sociological theory in both pre and post-revolution Iran is not considerable in quality and quantity. The problem has been the center of debates within several disciplines and through different approaches. This “bitter” fact has been studied in this paper from the perspective of sociology of sociology using the insights of history of ideas, sociology of knowledge, and sociology of science. The method is qualitative and the data used are extracted from the expert group interviews and from the historical material. The outcome points at some important facts, parameters, norms, and relations existent within both the scientific community as well as the greater society, regarding the poor performance of sociological theorization in Iran.