Abstract :
The law legitimate power. Over the 20th century, constitutions have been an essential
part of the dynamic. ‘How can be the Iranian constitution assessed over the long term?’
‘How do people evaluate their legitimacy?’ ‘Does the issue matter at all for
theoreticians at the leading edge of science?’ Iranian revolutionary constitutionalism has
an essential role in Bruce Arnold Ackerman's thesis of contemporary legitimacy.
Avoiding the pitfalls of Weber's thesis, which accounts for legality to tradition,
charisma, and bureaucratic rationality, Ackerman holds that modern notions over the
legitimacy based on constitutions. This paper tends to analyze the position of the Iranian
revolutionary structure in the mentioned theory. The first scenario in Ackerman's
trichotomy is "Revolutionary Constitutionalism," whereas "the insider-establishment
providing modest outsiders with strategic concessions" constitutes the second, followed
by a third "elite construction constitutionalism." As an example of the first scenario, he
mentions the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as France, Italy, India,
and South Africa. While Mao's and Stalin's periods regarded as two negative examples
of the thesis, Iranian revolutionary constitutionalism represents positive revolutionary
constitutionalism and democratic government.
Keywords :
Bruce Ackerman , Iranian Revolutionary Constitutionalism , Political Legitimacy , Islamic Revolution of Iran