Transformation of Social Structures and Political Jurisprudence in Constitution Era

During the long period of occultation, Shiite political jurisprudence has been consistently changed in the answer to the political and social questions by relying on its principles of decrees and in cooperation with various historical circumstances and it has been continuing in a dynamic manner. From the emergence of Safavid dynasty to the constitution, not only did the political and social occasions dominant in Iran’s community greatly change, but also modern political thoughts gradually came into the history of thought of Iran. The development of Shiite government and the possibility of interference of Shiite clergymen in the political affairs during this time as well as the entrance of constitutional thought from the west, provided the new conditions for the exit of Shiite jurisprudence according to the new social occasions and the development of new political image from the macro theory of patience and old expectation – which merely provided the possibility of political jurisprudence in the realm of private life of believers- and it created a new historical theory which could be interpreted as the theory of allowance for the establishment of half-legitimate government in the occultation era. This theory was focused on the establishment of political organization for the management of community which would be against the negative theory of the past merely stating the legitimate governor for the management of private affairs of believers. The present article explains the mechanism of this change relying on the strategy of the sociology of knowledge through a historical comparative method.