Islamic Moral Economy in Iran: Intellectual Lineage and Its Marginalization in Post-Revolutionary Islamic Finance — A Doctoral Research Chapter

This project is part of my doctoral research and examines how Islamic moral economy developed in Iran and why it gradually lost institutional influence after the 1979 Revolution. In the early revolutionary period, Islamic economists promoted ideas centered on social justice, redistribution, and protection of the oppressed. Over time, these welfare oriented visions were replaced by a more legal and technical model of Islamic finance dominated by Islamic legal scholars and contract based regulation. The project studies the intellectual roots of Islamic moral economy, the key figures and debates that shaped it, and the political and institutional processes that led to its marginalization in financial policymaking. Research will be conducted at Durham University under the supervision of Professor Mehmet Asutay, a leading scholar in Islamic moral economy, and will produce a full dissertation chapter. The project benefits Durham University by contributing original analysis of a major but understudied national case of Islamic finance, strengthening its research on moral economy and political economy. It benefits the University of Ottawa by advancing doctoral training in law and finance through international collaboration, specialized mentorship, and access to scholarly networks unavailable in Canada. The project supports knowledge exchange between institutions and contributes shared understanding.

Faculty Supervisor:

Pascale Cornut St-Pierre

Student:

Partner:

Durham University

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Ottawa

Program: