The Future of Shia Clergy

The bookgathers probing interviews and essays from leading Iranian scholars to examine the past, present, and uncertain future of Iran’s clerical establishment. Spanning historical roots, the rise of clerical power, the transformations brought by the Islamic Republic, and the challenges posed by social change, the contributors debate legitimacy, authority, gender, economics, and post-theocratic possibilities. This collection offers a rare, multifaceted inquiry into what place the clergy may occupy in Iran’s tomorrow.