“Going into Eclipse” or Caught in a Political Impasse?

Sedanet: The period from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, which began with the rise of Keyhan-e Farhangi and ended with the closure of Kiyan, is usually regarded as the golden age and flourishing of religious intellectualism. The circulation of Kiyan magazine exceeded 20,000 copies, and estimates suggested that each issue was read by around one hundred thousand people. Alongside Kiyan, other newspapers and magazines were also published, and every article stirred excitement in society and opened new avenues for discussion and dialogue. However, from the early 2000s, it seemed as though the role of religious intellectualism in society gradually faded, and the topics raised by this spectrum no longer ignited a light or stirred passion. On the other hand, it appears that religious intellectuals no longer possessed the vitality and radiance of the two previous decades; some moved beyond religious intellectualism, some deemed it to possess an internal inconsistency, and others remained in this arena, stumbling and faltering. We, at the Sedanet Cultural Group, believe that a combination of causes and reasons have come together to plunge religious intellectualism into such an eclipse. Now, at the suggestion of some esteemed individuals, we have prepared an inquiry to ask you, the respected expert, to write a brief note for us on: What was religious intellectualism? What became of it? Why did it become so? And what future is conceivable for it?

What do those who propose the idea of the eclipse and decline of the sun of religious intellectualism in Iran mean by "going into eclipse"? When they speak of the decline or eclipse of religious intellectualism, what claim are they explicitly making?

This short piece aims to show that the claim of the "decline of religious intellectualism in Iran" is an ambiguous statement, an imprecise claim lacking clear meaning. In addition to this fundamental flaw, they consider the decline and setting of religious intellectualism so self-evident that they do not deem it necessary to elaborate on the claim itself or to state the corroborations for such a claim. Hence, they seek its means and causes.

Those who claim the decline of the religious intellectualism current in Iran must necessarily first explain what they mean by the decline and setting of this current in the firmament of religious thought or social life. They must explain its indicators and signs and show what the meaning of decline or the purpose of the setting of this current is. In other words, before entering the fray of seeking causes and explaining them, it is necessary for the claims to be clearly described and for it to be determined whether we are fundamentally facing a phenomenon called "the eclipse of religious intellectualism" or not.

What does the decline or eclipse of religious intellectualism mean?

1. The first and indeed most profound meaning of "the eclipse of religious intellectualism" is that this current is fundamentally afflicted with conflict and contradiction. Therefore, it cannot traverse a clear and successful path. In this sense, religious intellectualism is the unsuccessful endeavor to reconcile religion and the contemporary world, and a futile effort to present a humanistic reading of religion. An approach condemned to failure not because of external cause or causes, but due to internal contradiction. This meaning of "going into eclipse" can be called a "crisis of approach." A crisis that arises from the approach and method of religious intellectualism.

2. The second meaning that the phrase "going into eclipse" brings to mind is that the current of religious intellectualism has lost its dynamism. In other words, its fecundity in thought and ideation has been lost. It is as if this current can no longer offer a new, innovative, path-breaking discourse that explains the present situation and state of affairs. It has suffered a kind of epistemic sterility, and its former intellectual fertility has reached an impasse. In this sense, it is as if religious intellectualism has encountered an "epistemic crisis.".

2. The third meaning that can be inferred from "going into eclipse" is that religious intellectualism has abandoned its social efforts and previous activities, and perhaps, out of despair, has crept into a corner and turned its active agency into passivity. In this sense, it is as if religious intellectualism has encountered a "crisis of motivation.".

3. The fourth meaning of going into eclipse could be that religious intellectualism in Iran has lost its former high social appeal, and society no longer shows the same favor toward this current as it did in the past. In this sense, the decline of religious intellectualism is the same as the reduction of their social influence and credibility. In this sense, it is as if religious intellectualism has encountered a crisis of audience, because they have lost their audience. In this sense, religious intellectualism has encountered a "crisis of influence.".

4. And finally, the fifth interpretation of the phrase "the going into eclipse of religious intellectualism" pertains to the loss of this current's status and rank of epistemic authority. The loss of social influence is something other than the loss of epistemic credibility. In this sense, religious intellectualism has encountered a "crisis of authority." A crisis of epistemic authority means: questioners no longer consider religious intellectuals as the source and reference for answers to their questions. It is as if they have fallen from their previous standing and rank..

To which of these five crises does the claim of "the going into eclipse of religious intellectualism" refer? Have these crises themselves been concretely examined and researched? If the answer is negative, then can one fundamentally speak meaningfully of the decline of religious intellectualism?

Political Impasse

But what has been clearly pointed out in this context is that religious intellectuals, their works, and their activities have been caught in a political impasse. Their magazines were shut down one after another. University teaching positions were taken from them one after another. Their gatherings and institutions were restricted or banned one after another. The opportunities and channels for their presence in society were blocked and limited. The pressures escalated to the point that some of them (such as Dr. Soroush, Kadivar, etc.) were forced to leave Iran. Others became housebound, and still others were worn down in the narrow back alleys of politics. The political impasse deprived religious intellectualism of opportunity and confined them within a restricted sphere. Such limitations cannot and should not be equated with the decline of the current of religious intellectualism. The conditions of political life in which we now find ourselves differ from what they were in the past. The low visibility of religious intellectualism is not because they have been met with society's disfavor, but because they lack the possibility for presence and activity..

If the conditions for the presence of religious intellectuals are prepared and a new “Kiyan” and “Madreseh” dawn once more, it is then that one can make comparisons and speak of the fortune or lack thereof, and of the eclipse or illumination of this current, and offer a realistic assessment.

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“Going into Eclipse” or Caught in a Political Impasse?

Author: Ali Zamanian

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