The birth, rise and transformation of the reform movement in Iran: The era of Khatami

This study examines the Iranian reform movement by focusing on the presidency of Mohammed Khatami (1997-2005). The study seeks an answer to the question of what factors contributed to the rise and fall of the reform movement. In this regard, the nature of the reform movement is being questioned. In contrast to the dominant view in the literature, it is claimed that the reform movement is elitist rather than democratic. The theoretical approach of the study is the elite theory. The elite theory has been adapted to frame the Iranian political system and political actors. Therefore, the theory has been functionalized both institutionally and actor based. It has been emphasized that the institutional structure of Iranian politics opens the door to elitist politics, not a democratic one. It has also been argued that political actors in Iran form closed networks due to their family and kinship structures and do not share their political positions with outsiders. Later, this theoretical approach was combined with the political process analysis method to test hypotheses. The political past of the reformers, the political processes that made them reformists, and what happened during the reform period and the end of the reform period were tried to be interpreted in accordance with the aforementioned theoretical perspective. As a result, it has been understood that the reform movement emerged as a result of political struggles within the elite and the elitist structure of Iranian politics. The struggle between the elites and the elite nature of the movement's actors were decisive in the rise and fall of the movement. The conclusion reached by the thesis presents a perspective on the nature and limitations of change in Iranian politics. According to this, political change in Iran can only occur as a result of the interactions, bargains, and struggles of the elites among themselves. The chances of grassroots movements being decisive are feeble in the short and medium term.