Overview

Sh’i Clerical Authority in Iraq: The Neo-Traditional Marji’yya and the Transformation of Political Order provides the first comprehensive analysis of the evolving relationship between Shi'i religious authority and the state in Iraq through a distinctive historical sociology framework that illuminates structural and contextual transformations. Spanning decades of complex interaction, it examines the often tense coexistence and rivalry between the state apparatus and the transnational Shi'i Marji'iyya, revealing how their relationship has been fundamentally reshaped by broader historical processes. Through meticulously researched case studies, the volume traces how state-building initiatives, secularization efforts, and shifting conceptions of national community have continuously challenged and reconfigured traditional religious authority. The analysis centers on the watershed moment of 2003, when Saddam Hussein's authoritarian regime collapsed, creating space for Shi'i religious and Islamist actors to emerge as significant political forces amid weakening central authority and a shift from homogenization to communitarianism as the organizing principle of political community. The author introduces the innovative concept of ""neo-traditional Marji'iyya"" to theorize the transformation in the public presence, political agency, and institutional configuration of Shi'i religious authority in contemporary Iraq. A significant contribution to the fields of Middle Eastern studies, political theology, and state-religion relations, this book offers essential insights for scholars and policymakers seeking to understand the complex interplay between religious institutions and political power in post-authoritarian contexts and fragile states.

Full Product Details

Author:   Harith Hasan
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.560kg
ISBN:  

9781041152651

ISBN 10:   1041152655
Pages:   208
Publication Date:   23 April 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter One: The Modern State, Secularization and Religious Authority in Iraq The Construction of the Marjiʿyya Moder State formation and Shiʿi Clerical Authorities Marjʿiyya under the authoritarian state Chapter Two: State Atrophy, Islamization, and the Dynamics of the Religious Field Shiʿi Clerics and the Response to Secularization The Decline of the Modernizing State The Shiʿi Uprising, Khoui’s Death and the Emergence of Sistani The Rise of Sadr II and the Division in the religious Field Chapter Three: Marjiʿyya and the Recreation of Sociopolitical Order after 2003 The Occupation and Disintegration of State Authority Marjiʿyya and State-Rebuilding Between Legal Tradition and New Realities Marjiʿyya as an Extra-Constitutional Body Chapter Four: Marjiʿyya and the Shiʿi Political Power: National and Transnational Dimensions The Marjiʿyya and Shiʿi Islamism: From Opposition to domination Historical Background Marjiʿyya and the Shiʿi-led State Moral Authority or Political Guarantor Marjiʿyya, Wilayat Al-Faqih and Transnational Relations The Controversy on Wilayat al-Faqih The Neo-Traditional Marjiʿyya vs. Wilayat al-Faqih Chapter Five: The Neo-Traditional Marjiʿyya: Religious Authority and the New Articulations Restructuring the Religious Field: Awqaf, Atabat and Marjiʿyya’s New roles The hybrid administration of Shrines Shrine Administrations and their Socioeconomic Activities The loose institutionalization The Neo-Traditional Marj’iyya and the Questions of Legitimacy, Legality and Public Morality The Question of Legitimacy: The Marjiʿyya as a Parallel Authority The Marjiʿyya, Public Morality and Social Governance Between Religious Jurisprudence and Formal Law Conclusions Bibliography Index

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Author Information

Harith Hasan is an Associate Researcher at the Arab Centre for Research and Policy Studies. Previously, he was a non-resident senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East centre (2019-2024); Director of Iraq’s Initiative at the Atlantic Council (2016-2018); Research Fellow at the Central European University (2017-2018), a Fellow at Radcliffe Institute-Harvard University (2014-2015). He has a PhD in political Science.

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