The Relationship between State and Civil Society from an Historical Sociological Perspective

The present study aims at investigating how the formation of civil society in Iran is affected by these characteristics of states: applying hegemony over private institutions, being dependent on tribal systems, adopting a particular political philosophy, and preventing the formation of a stable aristocratic institution in Iran. In this investigation, the relationship between the state and private sections is analyzed based on the theoretical model proposed by Jurgen Habermas. Besides the model presented by Jurgen Habermas, the current investigation considers the theory of oriental despotism for studying the past history of Iran and the theory of the bureaucratic despotism in its contemporary time. The findings of the study show that state institutions, compared to other social elements, keep their dominance through controlling the private ownership, controlling the relationship between state institution and the existing tribe, destabilizing the aristocracy, keeping strict supervision over the individuals in the society. The findings also show that state institutions controls institutions which creates an appropriate context for the formation and recognition of public sphere.