Shi'i Clerical Authority in Iraq: The Neo-Traditional Marji'yya and the Transformation of Political Order (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Democratization and Government)

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 Islam