The Islamic Revolution Approach

The Islamic Revolution Approach

Political Order and Governmental Rationality in Imam Khomeini’s Jurisprudential Thought: A Reading through Michel Foucault’s Framework of Governmentality

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Hamid Farshi
Assistant Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and Fundamentals of Islamic Law, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
This article examines the concepts of political order and governmental rationality in the jurisprudential thought of Imam Khomeini and seeks to reinterpret them through the analytical framework of governmentality. The main problem of the study concerns how political order is conceptualized in Imam Khomeini’s political jurisprudence and to what extent the concept of governmentality can be employed to understand the logic of religious governance without leading to normative reductionism or unjustified theoretical synthesis. The central research question asks whether a meaningful conceptual dialogue is possible between Imam Khomeini’s notion of governmental rationality and the logic of governmentality, or whether these two frameworks are fundamentally incompatible. The research hypothesis is that governmentality can only function as a limited analytical tool for understanding certain mechanisms of religious governance, while it remains incapable of explaining the sources of legitimacy, normative goals, and jurisprudential foundations of political order. The study adopts a qualitative methodology based on conceptual and documentary analysis, drawing on Imam Khomeini’s juridical and political works as well as relevant Persian theoretical scholarship. The findings indicate that political order in Imam Khomeini’s thought is normative, duty-oriented, and teleological in nature, and that any application of modern governance concepts must be conditional, limited, and theoretically self-conscious.

Introduction
This study explores the concepts of political order and governmental rationality in the jurisprudential thought of Imam Khomeini through the analytical framework of Michel Foucault’s theory of governmentality. While Imam Khomeini’s political jurisprudence has been extensively examined in Islamic and Iranian scholarship, its relationship with modern theories of governance remains under-theorized. Existing studies often focus either on normative foundations or institutional dimensions, without systematically engaging with contemporary analytical frameworks. This article addresses this gap by asking whether governmentality can serve as a meaningful interpretive lens for understanding religious governance in Imam Khomeini’s thought. The central problem concerns the possibility and limits of conceptual dialogue between Islamic political jurisprudence and Foucauldian analyses of power. The study aims to avoid both uncritical assimilation and rigid separation, proposing instead a conditional and reflexive approach.
Materials and Methods
This research adopts a qualitative methodology based on conceptual and documentary analysis. Primary sources include Imam Khomeini’s major juridical and political writings, particularly those related to governance, authority, jurisprudence, and public order. These texts are analyzed alongside key Persian scholarly works in political theology and political jurisprudence. In addition, selected English-language studies on Shi‘i political authority and governmentality theory are used to contextualize the analysis. The method consists of three main stages: first, reconstructing Imam Khomeini’s conceptualization of political order and rationality; second, outlining the core elements of Foucauldian governmentality; and third, conducting a comparative and critical reading to identify points of convergence and divergence. The analysis remains interpretive rather than empirical, focusing on theoretical coherence, internal logic, and conceptual boundaries.
Discussion
The findings indicate that political order in Imam Khomeini’s thought is fundamentally normative, jurisprudential, and teleological. Unlike state-centered or security-oriented models, political order is grounded in divine law, religious duty, and moral responsibility. Governance is understood not merely as administration, but as a form of ethical and spiritual guidance. Governmental rationality in this framework integrates legal reasoning, contextual awareness, moral accountability, and concern for public welfare. Concepts such as maslahat (public interest) and the role of time and place in jurisprudence demonstrate a dynamic and adaptive dimension within this normative structure.
In contrast, Foucauldian governmentality analyzes governance as a set of techniques, rationalities, and knowledge systems aimed at regulating populations and shaping conduct. It operates at a descriptive level, emphasizing power–knowledge relations, subject formation, and administrative practices. It does not address questions of metaphysical legitimacy, moral obligation, or transcendent purpose. The comparative analysis shows that governmentality can be analytically useful in examining how religious governance operates through institutions, discourses, and regulatory mechanisms. It helps clarify how authority is exercised, how norms are internalized, and how social order is maintained. However, it cannot account for the foundational elements of Imam Khomeini’s political thought, including divine legitimacy, ethical accountability, and spiritual objectives. Three major boundaries are identified. First, governmentality cannot explain the source of political legitimacy in Islamic jurisprudence. Second, it lacks the normative framework necessary for evaluating power in moral terms. Third, it reduces human agency to behavioral regulation, whereas Imam Khomeini emphasizes moral autonomy and religious responsibility. These limitations prevent governmentality from functioning as a comprehensive interpretive framework.
Conclusion
This study concludes that a limited and conditional application of governmentality is possible in the analysis of Imam Khomeini’s political jurisprudence. When used as an analytical tool rather than a normative theory, it can illuminate certain mechanisms of religious governance. However, any attempt to treat it as a substitute for jurisprudential reasoning leads to theoretical distortion. Political order in Imam Khomeini’s thought remains inseparable from divine law, ethical purpose, and teleological orientation. A rigorous analysis must therefore preserve the autonomy of Islamic political thought while selectively employing modern conceptual tools. This balanced approach enables meaningful dialogue without conceptual reductionism.
Keywords
Political order
Governmental rationality
Imam Khomeini
Political jurisprudence
Governmentality
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