Transcript International Relations

Social-Psychological
Banuazizi
Two approaches
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social-structural factors
cultural values, beliefs, orientations
Modernization theory united the two elements
Soc processes marked by modern attitudes
– empathy, personal efficacy, rationality, flexibility
Interest in soc psych (and
religion)
• Iran revolution
• persistence of "primordial" groups”
• achievement of Confucian economies
3 roots
• Psych-analytic theory and "modal
personality" idea
• Mainstream behaviourism
– attitudes clue to social action
• concerns in failed development
Soc-psych CAUSAL theory
• McClelland's "achieving society”
• Soc-psych intervening variable
• Nat identity > personal insecurity > pol
development "failure" (PYE)
• Mod pressures > lack of empathy > pol dev
insts failure (LERNER)
Soc-Psych dependent variable
• Lack of studies despite behaviourism claim
that environment shapes action
• Inkeles & Smith argued
– Dispositions arise from ‘modern' experiences.
These in turn mediate continuing success of
modernization
Inkeles
• [294] Exposure to large scale modernizing
institutions lead to “syndrome of psych
modernity”
• Individuals prone to this influence beyond
childhood
• underlying dimensions transcend ethnic,
cultural and national differences.
Inkeles and Overall
modernity scale
• 159 items tested in 6 countries
– 1.
– 2.
– 3.
– 4.
– 5.
– 6.
– 7.
Openness
Independence from trad auth
Belief in efficacy of science
Ambition
Punctuality/planning
Interest in civic affairs
Interest in international news
Modernity?
• Factor analysis found all bearing on a single
point:
– Could be "modernity”
– Could be that definitions are tautological
• ten background factors accounted for
variance in OM scores
OM Score factors
• Top three were
– Formal education
– Exposure to media
– Occupational experience
• Is modernity a state of mind or behaviour
congruent with demands of modern society?
Inductive reason
• Induce from these three propositions:
– Exposure to modern insts creates modernity
– Individuals can "modernize" after puberty
– Ethnicity, nationalism, culture transcended
• In other words: modernity can be
manipulated and thus lead to pol dev
Problem
• traditional Socio Economic Status variables
could explain all but 1% of the variance in
behaviour studied by Inkeles
• we still need an explanation at the national
level for differences in overall political
development
• religion?
Further research
• Need to do “cross-national” and longitudinal
studies
• Still stuck with difficulty of confirming
influence of a mediating factor
Tradition-Modernity
• Original assumption was that traditions were
temporary impediments
• Modernity derived from theory
• Tradition derived from residual negative
attributes
• See Talcott Parson’s pattern variables
Parsons
Tradition
• Conservative
• Impetus for change from outside
– [typically the west]
• Resilience and meaning of trad got more
attention in 1970s
• But psychology slower to change
– Inkeles talking about passivity etc.
Corrective reaction
• Traditional ideologies (expressed in ethnic or
religious movements) seen as more of a
challenge to incumbent regimes than secular
ideology
• Tradition demands activity too
– Islamic codes of personal conduct
– fundamentalist regimes
– Islamicizing public policies [Taliban?]
Resurgence of Islam
• Extremist anachronisms?
• Appeal to disoriented losers?!
• But too much diversity under the
“fundamentalist” umbrella
• Iran a puzzle for modernization theory
– large army and security forces toppled
– growth rates too high?
– Reactionary backlash?
Iranian politics
• Fuelled by
– uneven growth
– urban-rural tensions
– labour aristocracy
– perceived dependence on US
– Shah’s contempt for Islamic culture
– autocratic/repressive rule
Iranian politics
• Anti-Shah forces
– Shiite ulama
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involved in opposition movements
tied to bazaari community
financial & pol independence from the state
control of network of mosques -- allowed criticism
• But others rode the theocratic coattails
Islamic factions
• Radical
– young intelligentsia
• Militant
– ulama, petty-b, dispossessed
• Liberal
– “contest” appealed to non-violent middle class
• Traditionalist
– protest from old middle class strata
Analysis
• Islam adapted by group interests
• Leadership
• Ideological mobilization tool
Conclusions
• Economic structural change not necessarily
linked to secularism in
– political insts
– attitudes & values
• Islam appeal linked to dislocations &
inequalities
• Traditional actors are powerful not passive
– cf ultra right in Israel
– Catholic Church in Poland
Conclusions
• Absolutist politics after Iranian revolution
– explained in terms of desire for power
– not necessarily an aspect of Islam
• Dialogue between tradition and modernity
silenced in Iran, this time by tradition!