Religion and State in Iran 1785-1906: The Role of the Ulama in the Qajar Period

Religion and State in Iran, 1785-1906 offers the first sustained study of the political role of the ulama during the Qajar dynasty, a period that culminated in the Constitutional Revolution of 1906. Hamid Algar traces the emergence of the ulama as the central counterweight to the monarchy, showing how their authority grew in response to foreign encroachment, economic concessions, and the efforts of successive shahs to consolidate power. Through detailed analysis of key episodes--from the murder of the Russian envoy Griboyedov in 1829, to the rise of Babi and Baha'i movements, to the mass mobilization against the 1890 tobacco concession--the book demonstrates that the ulama consistently served as defenders of Islamic law, communal identity, and national autonomy.

More than a chronicle of political events, the book explores the theoretical and practical dimensions of Shi'i religious authority in a time of crisis and transformation. It situates the ulama within the broader context of Shi'i Islam, highlighting their unique position as scholars without priestly hierarchy yet endowed with immense influence. Algar also illuminates the evolving relationship between religious leadership and secular rulers, comparing developments in Qajar Iran to those in the Ottoman Empire. By examining the ulama's response to Western military, economic, and ideological pressures, the study sheds light on how clerical authority shaped Iran's trajectory toward constitutionalism. Drawing on Persian and European sources, it provides both a meticulous reconstruction of nineteenth-century politics and a framework for understanding the enduring entanglement of religion and state in modern Iran.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1969.