Zugl.: Berlin, Freie Univ., Habil.-Schr., 1996

Zugl.: Heidelberg, Univ., Magisterarbeit, 2009

Inaug. _ Diss.: Philosophische Fakultät: Münster-Westfalen: 1973. _ Bibliogr. p. 311-330.

Zugl.: Kassel, Univ., Diss., 2008

Thesis (M.M.S.) -- Marine Corps University, 2008. / "AD-A489 983." Includes bibliographical references. Full text available online in PDF format from DTIC web site. Adobe Acrobat Reader required.

Zugl.: Karlsruhe, Univ., Diss., 2009 / Hergestellt on demand. - Zusätzliches Online-Angebot unter http://uvka.ubka.uni-karlsruhe.de/shop/isbn/978-3-86644-395-2

University, Diss., 2000--St. Gallen.

Th. 3e cycle--Géogr.--Aix-Marseille 2, 1987.

This thesis is a study of the creation and evolution of the presidential institution in post- Khomeini Iran. It argues that the two decades under consideration have witnessed a continuous struggle, by successive presidents, for the recognition of their constitutional authority and its augmentation, which were considered by all presidents as a necessary step towards the fulfilment of their initial aspirations. The lack of success of all the presidents in achieving the latter objective, and the constant undermining of successive incumbents by other political actors, are explained in order to highlight the unique nature of the presidency in contemporary Iran. This falls short of being fully described by concepts and frameworks derived from elements of political theory relevant to classical Western definitions and notions regarding state institutions. This study specifically focuses upon the accession and tenure of three successive presidents, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It initially provides a broad historical overview of the relevant state institutions in the pre-revolutionary period, with a view to understanding their development structurally and thematically. The emergence of the unique post- revolutionary executive branch and political elite of the state during the first decade of existence of the Islamic Republic, with all their implications, are then discussed. Subsequently, the aforementioned presidents’ relationship with their surrounding political environment is explored with the purpose of explaining their modus operandi, their understanding of the presidency as an institution, and their decision-making at critical junctures within the contemporary context. The discussion also details their ties with the rest of the Islamic Republic’s political elite. The thesis is the second book-length analysis of a state institution of the Islamic Republic to emerge within the English-language academic context. It therefore seeks to augment the existing literature on both the structure of the contemporary Iranian state and the state-building processes undergone in Iran in the modern era.

This thesis deals mainly with the historical development of the religious institution of Ithna ashari Shi'ism in both its scholarly and political aspects. It is divided into six chapters. The word "school" has been used to describe the place in which such an institution had flourished due to the activities of its fuqaha ' in response to their turbulent history, whether it was in Iraq, in Bilad al-Sham (Greater Syria, i.e. Syria and Lebanon) or in Iran. Chapter one deals with the Baghdad School. It includes a study of the scholarly development right from the begining of the fuqaha' institution during Shaykh al-Mufid's times (d. 413/1022) and ending with Shaykh al-Tusi (d. 460/1068). Chapter two follows the development of this scholarly renaissance at the hands of the Hilla fuqaha starting with Ibn Idris al-Hilli's time (d. 598/1201) and ending with Fakhr al-Muhaqiqqin ibn al-'Allama al-Hilli (d. 771/1369), and investigates the relationship between the religious institution and the Mongol invaders of Iraq and the ideological influence of the Ithna'ashari fuqaha' on the leaders of the invaders. Chapter three, on the Jabal 'Amil school, deals in part with the unsettled period of the Mamluk state, its struggle against the Mongols and the internal situation of the Shi'a vis-a-vis the Mamluks. It also deals in part with the influence of the Jabal 'Amil fuqaha' on the Safawid state after these fuqaha' had migrated there. Particular attention is paid to the role of Shaykh al-Karaki (d. 940/1533) and his attempt to build a religious institution inside Safawid Iran, and the opposition that he met. The chapter ends with a study of the Akhbari Movement in its first stage, during the time of Muhammad Amin al-Astarabadi (d. 1033/1624). Chapter four focuses on the Najaf School, which had started about two hundred years before as an intellectual school. The development and activities of this school from the beginning of the thirteenth/nineteenth century, are discussed, as is its position regarding the emergence of the Wahhabi Movement, the Akhbari Movement (in its second phase) and the Shaykhi Movement. The chapter also deals with the political activity of the fuqaha' in their struggle against the Qajari state, which had been manifested in the fatwa prohibiting tobacco and in the Constitutional Movement. Chapter five deals with the struggle of the Najaf fuqaha' from the start of the Republican period (1958) until the beginning of the 1990s. This is preceded by an introductory remark concerning the position taken by the fuqaha' towards the British forces who entered Iraq after the First World War and the events of the Iraqi Revolution of 1920. Chapter six has been dedicated to a study of the Qumm school. It looks at the historical development of that city, with particular attention to the role of Shaykh 'Abd al-Karim al-Ha'iri al-Yazdi (d. 1355/1936) in supervising an elite of mujtahids who have participated in the renewal of this city.