Mendeley TY _ JOUR ID - 1403060147741 TI - The Relationship between "Self" and "Other" in the Political Thought of Javad Tabatabai JO - Pizhūhish-i siyāsat-i nazāri JA - ES LA - fa SN - 2008-5796 AU - bakhtiyar fatemeh AU - mortazavi seyed khodayar AU - AD - دانشجوی دکتری علوم سیاسی دانشگاه آزاد تهران مرکز AD - استادیار، گروه علوم سیاسی و روابط بین¬الملل، واحد تهران جنوب، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، تهران AD - استادیار، گروه علوم سیاسی و روابط بین¬الملل، واحد تهران جنوب، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، تهران AD - دانشیار گروه مطالعات کاربردی سیاست، پژوهشگاه علوم انسانی و مطالعات فرهنگی، ایران Y1 - 2025 PY - 2025 VL - 36 IS - SP - 321 EP - 349 KW - Rupture and Continuity KW - "Self KW - " "Other KW - " Tradition and Modernity. DO - N2 -

The relationship between the traditional Iranian "Self" and the modern Western "Other" in the political thought of JavadTabatabai is the central issue of this article. Chantal Mouffe's theory has been selected as the theoretical framework, and based on it; this issue and its dimensions are examined. The findings indicated that Tabatabai bases his assumptions on the principle of "Rupture" and, like the German Blumenberg, while giving originality to modernity and its inevitability, adheres to the theory of "Rupture." Then, he pursues the relationship between "Self" and "Other" from the perspective of the encounter between tradition and modernity, and unlike the proponents of tradition, he does not place modernity in contradiction and opposition to "Tradition." Also, unlike the proponents of Western modernity, he does not consider the age of tradition to be over and an obstacle to progress and development. From his point of view, historical continuity and connection with the new world are possible not through tradition-avoidance and imitative tradition-acceptance, nor through the uncritical acceptance of Western modernity, but through the revival of the rational possibilities of tradition in connection with the concepts of the new world. Tabatabai understands the logic of tradition in light of the requirements of the new world, and thus, unlike the proponents of tradition and modernity, he avoids other making the "Self" and "Other" between the two.

 

Keywords: Rupture and Continuity, "Self," "Other," Tradition and Modernity.

 

Introduction

Examining Sayyid JavadTabatabaei's thought on the subject of the Self and the Other reveals that he initially emphasizes and focuses on the discussion of tradition and modernity. Within this framework, he strives to understand the meaning, concept, and relationship between the two. In contemporary political literature, there are two general viewpoints: One emphasizes the connection between modernity and tradition, believing that modernity has theological roots; the other posits a separation between modernity and tradition, arguing that modernity has emerged in clear opposition to the world of tradition. Schmitt and Blumenberg are respectively examples and representatives of these two approaches.

In this context, Sayyid Javad Tabatabaei, while acknowledging the separation of modernity from ancient tradition, believes that modern understanding is only possible through understanding tradition. Accordingly, the main issue of this article is to explain the relationship between the Self (Iranian tradition) and the Other (Western modernity) in Tabatabaei's thought, based on his works. Generally, relying on those who believe in the separation between tradition and modernity in Iran, three approaches have emerged: Absolute rejection of tradition and complete acceptance of modernity; complete acceptance of tradition and absolute rejection of modernity; and the inevitability of modernity and the possibility of understanding it through tradition.

Tabatabaei belongs to the third approach and, based on this approach, establishes a specific relationship between the traditional Iranian "Self" and the modern Western "Other." This, on the one hand, distinguishes him from native thinkers such as Jalal Al Ahmad and Ali Shariati, who advocated the slogan of "Return to Self," and on the other hand, differentiates him from the absolute acceptance of modernity by other secular and Western-oriented Iranian thinkers who considered tradition an obstacle to Iran's progress. Based on this introduction, and clearly, the main question of the article is:

"What is the relationship between the traditional Iranian "Self" and the modern Western "Other" in JavadTabatabaei's political thought?"

It is obvious that the relationship between Self and Other, as one of the most important issues in the history of political thought, encompasses various topics and a diverse range of ethnic, gender, racial, religious, and identity dualities, etc. Therefore, with the aim of narrowing the scope of research, the relationship between the Self and the Other in Tabatabaei's views is examined solely from the perspective of tradition and modernity.

 

Theoretical Framework

In this research, documentary method was used for data collection, and analytical and interpretive methods were used for reasoning the information. The research approach is based on examining the dichotomy of self-other and tradition-modernity. While examining different types of encounters with the other, Mouffe's agonistic model was used as the criterion for conformity.

In her book "On the Political," Chantal Mouffe outlines one of the most important possible relationships between "Self" and "Other" in the political realm. In the same book, she formulates different types of encounters with the "Other" in three aspects: Antagonistic, post-political, and agonistic. The antagonistic relationship is full of monologue and, likewise, boundless violence. In fact, post-political and antagonistic encounters start from different origins, but both ultimately lead to violence. According to Mouffe, the post-political encounter falls within the liberal paradigm. In this type of encounter, the attempt is made to resolve conflicts through dialogue and lead to "Mutual Understanding" or even "Consensus." However, Mouffe seriously criticizes this view and considers the post-political relationship to be a non-political relationship, one that, even if applied in the political arena, will lead to serious troubles for society. Finally, by mentioning these two types of post-political and antagonistic encounters of the relationship between self and other, Mouffe arrives at her desired third type, which is possible and desirable, entitled the "Agonistic" encounter.

Attention to superficial interpretations and the stances of critics and opponents of Tabatabai's thought seems to be a kind of antagonistic conflict in his thought, where the identity of this approach is formed on distinction, opposition, and contradiction; although the dichotomy of tradition and modernity itself is the origin of many antagonistic conflicts, which cannot be denied. By examining Tabatabai's attitude towards the self (tradition) and the other (modernity) more deeply, the absence of conflict with this historical dichotomy is inferred. From his point of view, there is no contradiction in accepting tradition and modernity. Modernity is a continuation of the path of tradition, and modern understanding is only possible through understanding tradition. Therefore, Tabatabai's thought aligns with the agonistic encounter. The goal in this type of encounter is not to resolve conflict and contention, and it is not necessarily the case that the parties ultimately reach an agreement.

Rather, the goal is to manage this conflict through political and democratic mechanisms. Conflicts are not denied, but resolved through legal and political mechanisms.

 

Conclusion

The relationship between self and other is a very important one for understanding the history of thought. Given its importance, this article attempts to trace this relationship in the political thought of JavadTabatabai, as one of the Iranian writers.

The encounter between self and other, from Mouffe's perspective, is multifaceted. "Agonistic encounter" considers conflict as the engine of societal movement, and the goal in this type of encounter is not to resolve the conflict, nor is it intended that the parties necessarily reach an agreement in the end; rather, the goal is to control this conflict and manage it through political and democratic mechanisms. This type of encounter with the other is in line with Tabatabai's approach. Among the positive points that Mouffe mentions is the acceptance of conflict as a reality in the political sphere and that in agonism, the conflict and opposition of the parties in the realm of politics cannot be eliminated. With this reasoning, regarding the dichotomy of tradition (self) and modernity (other), thinkers adhere to two ideas: the idea of rupture and the idea of continuity between tradition and modernity.

The findings indicated that Tabatabai bases his assumptions on the principle of "Rupture" and, like Blumenberg, while giving originality to modernity and its inevitability, adheres to the theory of "Rupture." In general, relying on the opinion of those who believe in a rupture between tradition and modernity in Iran, three approaches have emerged, which are: Absolute rejection of tradition and complete acceptance of modernity, complete acceptance of tradition and absolute rejection of modernity, and the inevitability of modernity and the possibility of understanding it through the channel of tradition. Tabatabai belongs to the third approach and, based on this approach, establishes a special relationship between the traditional Iranian "Self" and the modern Western "Other."

Tabatabai attempts to provide a philosophical explanation for this issue through a framework of concepts and categories commensurate with the materials and resources of Iranian history, and for such a purpose, he undertakes the formulation of the "Iranshahri" theory. In this sense, Iranshahri, as the history of Iranian literature and culture, possessed such potential that, on the one hand, Iranians, aware of their national identity, constructed "Otherness" by contrasting this Iranshahri heritage with the Caliphate system. On the other hand, in the early centuries, the "Awareness" of Iranshahri, in "Otherness" to the dominance of the Arab "Other," reflected upon the "Self" and, by combining Islamic spiritual thought with its ancient content, returned to the "Self," thereby paving the way for the political independence of Iran.

On the other hand, Tabatabai also examines the relationship between the "self" and the "other" through the lens of the opposition between tradition and modernity. Contrary to traditionalists, he does not perceive modernity as being in conflict with tradition; nor does he, like proponents of Western modernity, consider the era of tradition to be a bygone period that hinders progress and development. Rather, he argues that although the rigidity of tradition over the course of centuries has led to the loss of some of its rational potential, the rationalist dimensions of tradition still persist. However, he emphasizes that this potential cannot be realized solely through the internal resources of tradition itself. Instead, such rational capacities can only be unlocked through the concepts and categories of the modern world. In this way, Tabatabai approaches the logic of tradition in light of the imperatives of the modern world and thereby avoids the binary opposition of "self" and "other" between tradition and modernity, unlike both traditionalists and modernists.

 

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