Conceptualizing the “Bound Subject” and Its Representation Among Religious Intellectuals
Subject Areas : Research in Theoritical Politics
1 - Ph.D Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Keywords: Constrained subject, Critical Theory, Bazargan, Shabestari, Soroush.,
Abstract :
Conceptualizing the “Bound Subject” and Its Representation Among Religious Intellectuals
Majid Sarvand*
In the West, the subject has shifted from a wholly free, conscious, independent, and self-grounded entity to a position constrained by the unconscious, the other, history, tradition, structure, discourse, and power—ultimately leading to a dialectical description of it. The central question of this study is: What position has the subject occupied within the current of religious intellectualism in Iran after the Islamic Revolution? The research hypothesis is that within Iranian religious intellectualism, attention and emphasis have been placed on human subjectivity—specifically individual subjectivity—and that a new, human-centered interpretation of religion is offered which, in harmony with the requirements of modern civilization, emphasizes human centrality, will, freedom, the right to choose, flourishing, individuality, and subjectivity. This article seeks to, first, present a historical review of the transformations in the understanding and interpretation of the concept of "subjectivity" in the modern era, and then examine the approach of religious intellectualism to it, with particular focus on the thought and works of Mehdi Bazargan. Furthermore, using a descriptive-analytical method and based on documentary and library sources, the collected material will be analyzed.
Keywords: Constrained subject, Critical Theory, Bazargan, Shabestari, Soroush.
Introduction
The concept of the "subject" in the history of political and philosophical thought in the West has undergone profound and foundational transformations. If, at the dawn of modernity, the subject was recognized as a "knowing agent," a free, self-grounded, and independent being in Cartesian philosophy and Enlightenment rationality, it did not take long before various intellectual currents challenged this absolutist and individualistic conception. Marxism, Freudian psychoanalysis, structuralist linguistics, post-structuralist schools, and the critiques of the Frankfurt School each, in their own way, emphasized the limitations of the subject and its entanglement with social, historical, discursive, and power structures. Within this framework, the "free subject" became the "constrained subject"—an agent who, though possessing freedom, will, and individuality, is always in tension with history, structures, power, and the other.
On the other hand, in post-revolutionary Iran, the current of religious intellectualism has been one of the most important arenas in which the concept of the subject and individuality has been rethought through a religious, human-centered interpretation. Thinkers such as Mehdi Bazargan, Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari, and Abdolkarim Soroush have sought, in response to the exigencies of the modern world and intellectual transformations, to reread the relationship between religion, human beings, and freedom. From this perspective, the essential question is: What place does the subject occupy in religious intellectualism, and how can it be conceptualized within the framework of the "constrained subject"?
Significance of the Research
The importance of addressing this topic can be explained from several perspectives:
- Theoretical necessity: In modern political thought and philosophy, the subject has always been central to epistemic and social reflections and transformations. Understanding the relationship between human beings and freedom, agency, morality, and society is impossible without analyzing the subject.
- Historical necessity: In the context of post-revolutionary Iran, religious intellectualism has attempted to establish a new relationship between religious tradition and the requirements of modernity. These efforts cannot be understood without attention to the question of the subject and individuality.
- Practical-political necessity: Re-examining the concept of the subject in the thought of religious intellectuals can contribute to a better understanding of the theoretical foundations of democracy, citizenship rights, and popular sovereignty in contemporary Iran.
- Discursive necessity: In contrast to the official, jurisprudential-ideological reading of religion, religious intellectuals have offered an alternative interpretation that emphasizes individual experience, inner freedom, and conscious choice. Clarifying the concept of the subject can help further delineate the boundaries of this discourse.
Research Objective
The main goal of this study is to conceptualize the "constrained subject" and explain its representation among Iranian religious intellectuals. More specifically, this research aims to:
- Review the historical transformations of the concept of the subject in the West.
- Analyze the understanding of subjectivity and individuality in the thought of religious intellectuals.
- Show how these thinkers, while affirming human freedom and individuality, emphasize the subject’s connection with God, morality, and religious experience.
- Re-examine the political implications of this perspective concerning democracy, individual freedoms, and the relationship between religion and politics.
Research Questions and Hypothesis
The main research question is:
What is the position of the subject in Iranian religious intellectualism after the Islamic Revolution, and how can it be conceptualized as a "constrained subject"?
Sub-questions:
- How have transformations in Western thought influenced our understanding of the subject?
- What is the relationship between the modern subject, postmodern critiques, and the constrained subject?
- How have religious intellectuals (especially Bazargan, Shabestari, and Soroush) redefined the subject in relation to religion and modernity?
- What are the political and social implications of this perspective for understanding democracy and popular sovereignty in Iran?
The central hypothesis of this research is that in Iranian religious intellectualism, emphasis has been placed on the individual subject, freedom, agency, and human flourishing; at the same time, this subject is constrained by its relationship with God and religious experience. Thus, contrary to the jurisprudential-ideological approach that emphasizes obedience and authority, religious intellectuals have offered a human-centered and liberty-seeking interpretation of religion that is more compatible with modernity and democracy.
Findings
- Historical review: In the Western tradition, the subject has traversed a complex path from the Cartesian cogito to the critiques of Husserl, Wittgenstein, Adorno, Horkheimer, and Foucault. This path has taken the subject from being self-grounded to being deeply entangled with power and history.
- Constrained subject: This study argues that the modern human condition is a dual one; while the subject enjoys freedom and agency, it is always formed in connection with the other, tradition, history, and power. This condition may be termed the "constrained subject."
- Role of Foucault: In Foucault’s thought, the subject is simultaneously a knowing agent and an object of subjugation. He speaks of the possibility of resistance and the creation of alternative ways of living. This provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the constrained subject.
- Bazargan: In Mehdi Bazargan’s thought, the human being possesses innate dignity and inner freedom. He emphasizes individuality, agency, and personal initiative, yet ultimately holds that this freedom must be employed in the pursuit of divine elevation and spiritual perfection. Hence, he can be seen as a prominent representative of the concept of the "subject constrained by God."
- Shabestari and Soroush: These thinkers, by critiquing the official reading of religion, emphasize individual religious experience and freedom in interpreting religion. From their perspective, religion is not a set of rigid prescriptions but a spiritual experience that transforms the individual into a free subject who is nonetheless bound by ethics and faith.
- Political implications: According to this approach, democracy is the best environment for the flourishing of the subject and the realization of individuality. Popular sovereignty, individual freedoms, and citizenship rights are all grounded in the intrinsic value and dignity of the human being. In contrast, authoritarian or jurisprudential-ideological systems suppress individuality by subjugating the subject.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that the concept of the "constrained subject" can serve as a key to understanding both the freedom and limitations of human beings in the modern world. Iranian religious intellectuals, inspired by the foundations of modernity and while remaining faithful to the religious tradition, have sought to offer a new interpretation of religion in which the human being is both free and autonomous, yet finds meaning through connection with God and religious experience. Thus, the "constrained subject" is neither a passive agent crushed by power nor the absolute Cartesian subject, but a human being who continually creates and recreates themselves in the field of tension between freedom and necessity, history and faith, individuality and community. This concept can provide a theoretical foundation for rethinking the relationship between religion, politics, and democracy in contemporary Iran.
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* Ph.D Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
majid.sarvand@gmail.com
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