The Role of Clergy in Education during the Pahlavi Period

Document Type : Science - Research

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of History of Contemporary Thought, Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute, Qom, IRAN

10.22059/jcrir.2024.378239.1638

Abstract

Before the introduction of modern Western civilization, education in Iran was primarily under the control of the clergy and considered one of their main responsibilities. With the arrival of Western culture and civilization in Iran, particularly during the Pahlavi era, formal education, like many official governmental institutions, came to be managed by graduates of the new educational system. As a result, today some people view the clergy's involvement in official education as unconventional. The central question of this research is whether, with the formation of new schools and the informal status of old schools during the Pahlavi period, the clergy still played a role in formal education. The author's investigation indicates that a comprehensive and focused study on this topic has not been conducted. Although various academic works have touched upon the role of religious movements and clergy during the Pahlavi era, as well as memoirs related to active clerics in this area, these references are scattered and lack coherence. The present study, by descriptive and historical analysis methods, aims to explore this issue in historical documents. The findings indicated that after the reign of Reza Shah and with the opening of the political and cultural atmosphere, Shia scholars and clerics undertook two fundamental actions to play their role in education: The first was a gradual reform of the government’s new education system, conducted in four stages: Requesting the inclusion of religious subjects in schools, selecting suitable teachers for instruction, separating girls' and boys' schools, and the writing of textbooks by clerics with their presence to teach these books. The second action was the establishment and management of new private schools by clerics. This involvement of the clergy provoked a reaction from the Pahlavi regime, resulting in pressure on these schools and even the closure of some of them.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Badamchiyan, A. (2018 AD/1397 AH). Interview with Tasnim News Agency.Center for Historical Document Review. (1999 AD/1378 SH). Indomitable Oppressors: Ayatollah Foomani Haeri.
 
Center for Historical Document Review. (2000 AD/1379 SH). Imam’s Comrades as Documented by SAVAK: Martyr Hojjatoleslam Dr. Mohammad Javad Bahonar. (1st Ed).
 
Center for Historical Document Review. (2021 AD/1400 SH).
 
Dalmani, H. (1956 AD/1335 SH). Travelogue from Khorasan to Bakhtiari. (Farah Vashi, M. Trans). Tehran: Amir Kabir.
 
Ghafouri, A; Bahonar, M. J. (1966 AD/1345 SH). Religious Education and Training for Third Grade Students. Tehran: Society of Islamic Education Publications.
 
Group of Researchers. (2006 AD/1385 SH). Golshan Abrar. Qom: Ma'roof Publication.
 
Group of Writers. (2007 AD/1386 SH). Memorial of Professor Allameh Karbaschian: A Collection of Articles Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Alavi School. Tehran: Afagh Publication.
 
Islam, A. (2011 AD/1390 SH). Cultural Vanguard of Islamic Culture in the Era of Suppression. Tehran: Be'athat Fundation.
 
Jafariyan, R. (n.d.). Political Religious Movements and Organizations in Iran. Tehran: Khaneh Ketab.
 
Jawaher Kalam, A. (2003 AD/1424 AH). The Pure Soil of Qom. Qom: Ansarian Publications.
 
Karami Pour, H. (2004 AD/1383 SH). "A Glimpse of the Cultural Activities of Religious Forces During the Pahlavi Era." Zamaneh Journal. 20.
 
Karbaschiyan, A. (2012 AD/1391 SH). Recommendations of the Master: Statements by Professor Allamah Karbaschiyan to School Principals. (2nd Ed.). Tehran: Afagh Publication.
 
Kazama, A. (2001 AD/1380 SH). Kazama's Travelogue: The Travelogue and Memories of Akio Kazama, the First Minister Plenipotentiary of Japan in Iran. (Rajabzadeh, H. Trans). Tehran: Cultural Heritage and Historical Monuments Society.
 
Latifi Pakdeh, L. (n.d.). Analysis of the Islamic Revolution. Representation of the Supreme Leader in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Tehran.
 
Mostofi, A. (1945 AD/1324 SH). My Life Story or the Social and Administrative History of the Qajar Era. Tehran: Scientific Publishing.
 
Najafi, M. (2005 AD/1384 SH). Political Thought and History of the Movement of Haj Agha Noorollah Isfahani.  Tehran: Institute for Contemporary Historical Studies.
 
Nasiri, M. R. (2005 AD/1384 SH). Creators of Impact: Biographies of Notable Cultural Figures in Iran. Tehran: Cultural Heritage and Historical Monuments Society.
 
Nikbakht, R. (2001 AD/1380 SH). Oral History of the Life and Social and Cultural Services of Ayatollah Haeri Tehrani. Islamic Revolution Documents Center.
 
Rabbani, J. (2014 AD/1393 SH). Alavi Education. Tehran: Office of Publications and Educational Technology.
 
Ravandi, M. (n.d.). The Social History of Iran. (Vol. 5). Sweden: Arash Zamaneh.
 
Razavi, S. A. (2006 AD/1385 SH). The Wills of the Master: The Cultural-Educational Will of Professor Allamah Karbaschiyan. (2nd Ed.). Tehran: Afagh Publication.
 
Salour, Gh. (2005 AD/1384 SH). Diary of Ayn al-Saltanah. (Vol. 5). (Afshar, I; Salour, M. Ed). Tehran: Asatir Publications.
 
Seddiq, I. (1937 AD/1316 SH). A Brief History of Education and Training. Tehran: Roshanayi Press.
 
Shafigh, H. (2019 AD/1398 SH). Interview with the Institute for Contemporary Historical Studies. Retrieved from http://www.iichs.ir/s/8483.
 
Shamim, A. (1992 AD/1371 SH). Iran during the Qajar Dynasty. Tehran: Scientific Publication.
 
Sobhani, J. (2007 AD/1386 SH). The Faces of the Wise. Qom: Imam Sadiq Institute.
 
Soltanzadeh, H. (1985 AD/1364 SH). History of Schools in Iran from Ancient Times to the Establishment of Dar al-Funun. Tehran: Agah Publication.
 
Tabatabai, M. H. (2008 AD/1387 SH). Teaching Religion or Islamic Lessons. Tehran: Jahan Ara Publication.
 
ـــــــــــــــــــــــــ. (n.d.). Religious Education for Fifth and Sixth Grade Elementary Students. Tehran: Tabaan Publication.
 
Tarbiat Newspaper. (1939 AD/1318 SH). Vol. 5, no. 226.
 
Contemporary Researches on Islamic Revolution
Volume 6, Issue 22
December 2024
Pages 111-131

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics