Woman, Life, Freedom: Autonomy in the Social and the Political, by Seyed Javad Miri

Description

Woman, Life, Freedom: Autonomy in the Social and the Political, by Seyed Javad Miri,  offers a profound theoretical inquiry into the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement as a paradigmatic manifestation of Iran’s evolving social subjectivity, transcending reductive binaries of riot versus revolution. It argues that the 2022 protests signify not a rupture aimed at state overthrow but a deep ontological transformation in the relationship between political authority and social agency. Through a critical analysis of concepts such as autonomy, covenantal versus contractual legitimacy, and the dialectic of stability and change, the work reveals how Iranian society is renegotiating sovereignty, citizenship, and identity in a post-revolutionary context. The text situates this transformation within broader historical, philosophical, and global frames, demonstrating how generational shifts, gendered agency, and epistemic struggles challenge entrenched structures of power. By conceptualizing the movement as an endogenous force of renewal, the book offers an innovative framework for understanding the dynamics of authority, resistance, and political adaptation in contemporary Iran.

Seyed Javad Miri is a Swedish-Iranian sociologist, public intellectual, and professor of sociology at the Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies in Tehran, Iran. He is a specialist in Islamic social theory, inter-civilizational discourse, and contemporary Islamic thought. He has published numerous books and articles and is the founder of the journal Islamic Perspective. He is the Co-Director of the Institute for Critical Social Theory.

Paperback. 231 Pages

Published: February 2026

ISBN: 978-1-971333-02-1

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