Bureaucratization Project in the Qom Seminary: A Weberian Approach Processes, Challenges, and Oppositions

The Shia Seminary, as an Iranian social and religious institution, has profoundly influenced and been influenced by changes in different aspects of society, culture, and politics. This paper is an attempt to investigate the dynamics of changes in the Seminary in the past three decades. Here the terms 'Seminary' and 'Howza' are used interchangeably.There have been traces of significant changes in the structure of Howza, one of the most important of which is the formation and development of a bureaucratization project in the educational infrastructure of Howza. Since the 1979 revolution, this project has been particularly pursued by the Islamic Republic government. This research investigates these changes in Howza, in its educational and administrative systems by utilizing the Weberian model of bureaucracy to illustrate how the dynamics of these changes are closely entangled with the major elements of bureaucratization. To achieve this goal, first of all, views and thoughts of the major defenders of the recent changes in Howza in their writings are closely analyzed. Moreover, this research attempts to identify the unintended consequences of bureaucratization project and reflects how the opponents who are mainly among traditionalist Marja’ (guides) have argued against the implementation of this project in Howza. This research employs the archival research method to analyze a series of archived interviews, speeches, as well as several books and official and unofficial statistics related to the bureaucratization project in Howza.