Cultural Turn in Social Revolutions Studies (Emphasizing the Islamic Revolution)

The role played by culture has always been under much disputation in the domain of social studies. Many theorists consider cultural explanations as fundamentally irrelevant. They generally either completely disregard or marginalize cultural variables as “minor” in the development of social events. This paper, however, attempts to demonstrate the increasing attention paid to culture particularly considering what has come to be called the “cultural turn” since the 1960’s, as a result of which much attention is being paid to cultural components. The “cultural turn” influenced most of the social sciences. As a result, cultural theories found their place within the rival explanations as regards the social revolutions. Such a view culminates in considering the Islamic Revolution of Iran as a cultural movement. This paper attempts to succinctly trace the roots of the cultural turn and it then points out the theories which have shaped based on cultural variables. The authors’ ultimate goal is to show the cultural influences affecting the Islamic Revolution of Iran.