Abstract

This article offers a thick description of the new form of Islamization project in contemporary Iran. For this purpose, it used thematic analysis to examine the macro strategic documents, interviews, conversations, texts of eminent people and active participants in Islamization, the texts of its critics, and related organizations. The article argues that the Islamization project is rooted in the Cultural Revolution, which occurred after the 1979 Revolution in Iran, but that it has changed significantly since then. The new form of Islamization focuses on constructing an alternative human science. This form consists of different practices, including ideological perspectives and material elements like documents and organizations. Through a broad description of the project, it has been shown that two perspectives can be distinguished here: one is security-based and managerial, whereas the other is epistemic. Furthermore, the project has received criticism from two points of view: first, the defense of the universality of science and, second, the importance of democratic mechanisms in scientific policy. Significantly, the Islamization project is the unique trait of cultural politics in postrevolutionary Iran. It is also important to note that Islamization is beyond an idea, consisting of numerous projects, organizations, and actors, and is backed up by multiple upstream documents. It has also led to contests between its proponents and opponents.