Islamization of political science: Authoritarian control of curriculum and the manufacture of safe knowledge production in Iranian universities

Key findings from this study

This research indicates that:

• State-led Islamization policies in Iranian universities reduced political science disciplinary diversity and marginalized comparative approaches.
• Formal policies combined with informal institutional mechanisms—including faculty networks and negotiation strategies—enforce ideological alignment in curriculum and research.
• The Islamization of political science represents deliberate knowledge control aimed at subordinating education to authoritarian governance imperatives rather than neutral academic adaptation.

Overview

This paper examines how authoritarian state-led Islamization policies reshape political science curricula and research practices in Iranian universities. The analysis focuses on formal policies and informal institutional mechanisms that designate social science as ideologically sensitive. The study establishes that curriculum restructuring and regime-aligned imperatives constrain disciplinary diversity and intellectual engagement.

Methods and approach

The research conducted systematic analysis of undergraduate curricula in Iranian political science programs and examined published papers in Iranian political science journals. The approach combined curriculum content review with analysis of research publication patterns. This methodology enabled assessment of both formal academic structures and actual research orientations.

Results

The Islamization policies significantly reduced disciplinary diversity within political science education. Comparative and interdisciplinary approaches became marginalized in both curricula and research agendas. The transformation reflects deliberate knowledge control rather than neutral academic adaptation, demonstrating how state interventions reshape institutional practices and scholarly focus areas.

Published research in Iranian political science journals increasingly aligns with regime-sanctioned topics. Faculty networks and informal negotiation strategies operate alongside formal policies to enforce ideological conformity. These mechanisms effectively constrain the field's traditional roles as a site of civic inquiry and intellectual pluralism.

Implications

The findings contribute to broader scholarship on authoritarianism and higher education governance. They demonstrate mechanisms through which autocratic states employ curriculum design and disciplinary designation to control knowledge production. Understanding these processes illuminates how institutional restructuring functions as a tool of political control.

The research advances debates on the global politics of knowledge production and disciplinary autonomy. It reveals how state-led Islamization operates as a comprehensive intervention affecting both what scholars study and how disciplines function societally. These patterns extend beyond Iran, suggesting comparable dynamics in other authoritarian contexts where social science faces ideological pressures.

Scope and limitations

This summary is based on the study abstract and available metadata. It does not include a full analysis of the complete paper, supplementary materials, or underlying datasets unless explicitly stated. Findings should be interpreted in the context of the original publication.