Chapter 3 looks at the Islamic Republic of Iran and argues that while religion, laws, and customs impact the ability of researchers to conduct field research to a certain extent, the state’s authoritarian intervention plays a far greater role in limiting researchers’ freedom of inquiry. The chapter offers advice on how to deal with the limitations on research imposed by the authoritarian state. The chapter is based on the experiences of an Iranian American scholar, and an Italian professor based in Dublin. Examining this topic from the perspective of two female researchers with different backgrounds sheds light on the importance of religion and gender to fieldwork in Iran.
Authoritarian state building through political decentralization and local government law: Evidence from the Islamic Republic of Iran
