In a revolution, an uprising, or the advent of a new regime, new actors also take their place while a new political and sometimes social order becomes institutionalized. From the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which led to the fall of the Shah of Iran, it is often noted, for example, that common people had access to leadership roles. Many studies have also delved into the impact of revolutionary experiences on individuals, and how the revolution positioned these protagonists. A significant portion of research on revolutions, whether in history, political science, or even political anthropology, focuses on reflecting on what the revolutionary experience does to those who live through it.
In the 2010s, a new concept emerged to refine the sociological analysis of revolutions, developed by three researchers working on Syria between 2011 and 2014. Moving beyond the concept of “militant capital” developed a decade earlier, researchers Frederique Matonti and Franck Poupeau explored the idea of “revolutionary social capital.” This new notion considers how networks, connections, and circles of knowledge institutionalize after the event, translating into social positions that were established during the protest actions.
Ten years later, the work of Guillaume Beaud, who focused on the sociology of elite individuals in the Iranian state, aimed to historicize the trajectory of individuals and the position of social groups, emphasizing continuity instead of solely focusing on how revolutionary experiences affect alliances and networks. Beaud emphasizes not to over-dramatize the rupture of what is known as a “regime change.”
References: 1. “Les hommes pluriels de la révolution : fabrique d’une première génération de hauts fonctionnaires islamistes et structuration de l’état en Iran (post) révolutionnaire,” an article by Guillaume Beaud and Behnaz Khosravi for the journal Critique internationale, 2024. 2. “Le capital social révolutionnaire. L’exemple de la Syrie entre 2011 et 2014,” an article by Adam Baczko, Gilles Dorronsoro, and Arthur Quesnay in Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales, 2016. 3. “J’ai décidé d’être le père de la province.” Écriture de soi et répertoires de légitimation chez les élites administratives en Iran et au Pakistan,” another article by Guillaume Beaud in Politix, 2023.
