Status of the clerics in the process of modern state-building in Iran and Turkey

In this study, the collapse of the old government structure from a historical perspective and how it affected the socio-economic situation of the clerics will be examined comparatively in Iran and Turkey. The role of the clerics has gradually decreased in the society through the reforms in the areas such as the birth of the modern state, centralization of government, education, judiciary, and foundation and tax system. The reform process has also created changes in the relations between the clerics and the public. In the context of these changes, it has led to a perception that their social and political situation is threatened. The fundamental problem of the research is how ulema and clerics are affected during the process of the building of the modern state in Iran and Turkey and the results of these effects. On the other hand following this problem, sharing the power and changing the basis of governance will be explained. Not only the political system but also the collapse of the political society and the change in the governance relations have been tried to be revealed. A qualitative research was adopted and a case study is conducted in this study. In this context, data from primary and secondary documents and sources are collected and analyzed. On the other hand in the study, instead of analyzing the research around a single cause by adopting the discourse analysis technique, the focus is given on the political, economic and cultural dynamics in the context of the historical and temporality of the formation of each thought, and their effects are examined in mutual terms. Keywords: Iran, Turkey, Modern State, Clerics