Historical and conceptual preparations for a multidisciplinary study of social justice in Iran

Abstract

Two concomitant historic events in 1988 mark Iran’s turning away from the promises of the 1979 Revolution: the first is the end of Iran-Iraq war and the beginning of the “reconstruction effort," and the second is the purging of thousands of political prisoners, an entire generation of social justice activists. These two events paved the way for turning toward economic liberalization and privatization at the expense of its workers, poor, minorities, and the vulnerable. As a result, a new ruling elite has risen to power, blocking the collective voices of justice and democracy. Their rise constitutes the Nietzschean aspect of the Iranian Revolution-an embodiment of a collective ressentiment. Invoking the concept of “dignity," the chapter offers a multidisciplinary concept of social justice.