The Convergences of Fields as a Symbolic Theory of Revolution: Studying the Iranian Revolution of 1979

• In Event: 20407 - Sociological Theory

Abstract

How can a field theory of revolution be conceptualized? To reconcile cultural and structural accounts of the Iranian Revolution, this paper examines the 1979 revolution as a symbolic revolution. It theorizes the revolution as the result of symbolic convergence and symbolic coalition between fields. By symbolic convergence, I refer to the process by which the rise of an external force—the Imperial field in the case of Iran—facilitates the creation of a new field (the clerical field) emerging from the heart of an existing field (the monarchical field). This process gradually leads to the emergence of overlapping fields, where the division between them functions as a defensive mechanism, ultimately giving rise to dual state. In contrast, symbolic coalition refers to the moment when the alliance between an exogenous field and an endogenous field enables disparate fields to form a coalition. I argue that this coalition, driven not by shared material resources but by a common sense of existential threat, leads to the hybridization of fields, the creation of new forms of symbolic capital, and improvisatory actions that fuel collective resistance and contribute to revolutionary mobilization. To support these arguments, I examine the emergence of the clerical field as a counterpart to the monarchical field in Iran, which facilitated the creation of a dual state through the clericalization of the monarchy. I also trace how the convergence between the monarchical and intellectual fields in the 19th century contributed to the Constitutional Revolution of 1906. Furthermore, I demonstrate how the alignment between the monarchical and imperial fields—especially following the 1953 Anglo-American coup—precipitated the symbolic collapse of the monarchy, setting the stage for a second convergence between the intellectual and clerical fields, which ultimately contributed to the 1979 revolution.

Author

• Saeed Saffar Heidari Sabet, University of Illinois-Chicago