Safavid State and Reconfiguration of Iranian Society; Institutional Transformation and Heritage

The formation of the Safavid State in Iran led to a profound change in the foundations of political arrangement and the establishment of new institutions in the body of society. Contrary to the prevailing theoretical approach in explaining the relationship between State and society in Iran - which emphasizes the exclusive agency of the State and the absence of social forces in the evolution of society - this article seeks to be inspired by the historical institutionalist approach and chain explanations (historical causal narrative). To provide an alternative narrative of the relations between society and State in Safavid Iran and the continuation of the lasting institutional heritage resulting from institutional change in this historical period. The research findings show that in the institutional configuration of the Safavid period, society is not a static concept and political arrangement is deeply influenced by social components. Another is that the formation of the Safavid State on the basis of multiple powers reproduced a new institutional configuration based on the relatively complex network of interrelationships between the key institutions of power in this period, namely the State, tribes, clergy and the market, which led to The formation of a special institutional heritage that lasted for centuries after the fall of the Safavids. The method of the present research is historical sociology and according to its problem, purpose and theoretical framework, it is placed in the framework of historical-analytical strategy.