From the Islamization of Universities to the Islamization of Social Sciences in Iran

The Islamization of universities project emerged immediately after the Islamists seized power in Iran in 1979. To this end, they went as far as proclaiming the “cultural revolution”. Despite the implementation of several political measures and propaganda spanning over a decade, they failed to meet their objectives. The new Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, formally designated the humanities and social sciences, hailing from the West, as the new enemy of the Islamic Republic and its ideological and theoretical foundations. He thus urged for drawing a roadmap to Islamize these sciences. This article will briefly recall the initial phase of the “cultural revolution”. This backdrop allows for examining the policy of Islamization of the social and human sciences implemented since 2010. The paper specifically highlights the intention of the theocratic regime which, by means of the policy of Islamization of the social sciences, strives to contain the development of critical thinking and thereby seeks to produce “Islamic men and women”.