scientific journal Political Sociology of the Islamic Revolution

Abstract The emergence and expansion of IAU as Iran’s largest non-profit higher education system plays a pivotal role in realizing the cultural-educational objectives of the Islamic Revolution. Given the limited analysis of cultural policymaking typologies within this institution, the present study employs a historical-managerial approach and grounded theory methodology to identify and examine the evolution of cultural policies across different administrative periods. Research data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 30 key stakeholders (presidents, vice-presidents for cultural affairs, representatives of the Supreme Leader, and cultural unit directors) and analyzed using MAXQDA software through open, axial, and selective coding procedures. The findings reveal that cultural policymaking at Islamic Azad University evolved through five distinct typologies: (1) stabilization-developmental policymaking with quantitative dominance (Dr. Abdullah Jasbi period), (2) identity-centered centralized policymaking (Dr. Farhad Daneshju period), (3) administrative-institutional policymaking with structural approach (Dr. Hamid Mirzadeh period), (4) interactive-regulatory policymaking (Dr. Farhad Rahbar period), and (5) transformational policymaking with educational-civilizational approach (Dr. Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi period). Each typology is shaped by causal conditions (ideological foundations, economic pressures, structural crises), contextual conditions (multilayered structure, cultural-generational diversity, media environment), and key strategies (institutionalization, localization, multilevel governance, smartification), yielding distinct outcomes in identity reinforcement, cultural governance improvement, participation, and university legitimacy. This analysis provides a historical-managerial theoretical framework for studying cultural policies in higher education institutions and proposes practical solutions for reconfiguration, localization, and digitalization of cultural policymaking at IAU by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each period.

Abstract The current research tries to examine the position of the Islamic Revolution in the evolution of Iran's cultural policy, as well as the cycle of discourse and evolution in the cultural policy of the Islamic Republic in the 70s.In order to organize the theory of discourse analysis, we used it as a method to answer this question in citing the results that What discourse changes has Iran's Islamic Revolution brought about in the process of cultural policymaking?Has the cultural policy after the revolution followed an established and dominant discourse or has it undergone changes within the discourse?

In order to determine the discourse changes, different approaches to cultural policy-making, such as (being idealistic and realistic - the level of government intervention - the perspective (the viewpoint ) of cultural control or free culture - being religious and non-religious) have been examined.

Also, in order to study more closely and show the amount of changes, Documents and development plans have also been analyzed.One of the most important results of the current research is that with the incident of the Islamic Revolution, there is a shift from the "Western and irreligious" discourse to the "religious and Islamic" discourse.And the process of cultural policy after the Islamic revolution can be divided into two discourses: "traditional-revolutionary" and "development-liberal" and we witness this evolution in the discourse of the 1370s.