The Structure of Central Authority
in Qajar Iran:1871-1896
A. Reza
Sheikholeslami
 The authority of
Iranian patrimonial monarchs generally is perceived to be arbitrary. A. Reza Sheikholeslami, making extensive use of
the Iranian government archives for the first time, shows that in the case of Nasir al-Din
Shah, 1848-1896, the king's authority was more complex. Its exercise varied over time, but
most importantly the nature of authority depended on the context. The royal authority was often restrained by the
tradition in which it was rooted. Personalism
was mitigated by precedent which created its own norms. Yet also, as a result of
inspiration from Western models of authority, the king's authority was hierarchically
absolute over the formal organizations he established. Here patrimonial authority reigned
supreme. The author concludes that tyranny
may spring from the juxtaposition of modern institutional structures, devoid of
procedures, against weakened traditional modes of authority.
Specifications:
1996 ( Re-issued in 2000): xii+246pp., glossary, bibliography, index.
Studies in Near Eastern Culture and Society, No.9
Issued under the auspices of the G.E. von Grunebaum
Center for Near Eastern Studies, UCLA.
ISBN:0-7885-0323-5
(paper):$29.95
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