Exploring the Legal Meaning of Political Voice in Authoritarian Contexts
Keywords:
Political voice, authoritarianism, legal consciousness, freedom of expression, Iran, qualitative research, repression and resistanceAbstract
This study aims to explore how individuals interpret and navigate the legal meaning of political voice within the authoritarian legal system of Iran. A qualitative research design was employed using a phenomenological approach to capture the lived experiences of citizens in an authoritarian context. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 participants from Tehran, including legal professionals, civil society actors, and politically engaged citizens. Theoretical saturation was achieved, ensuring thematic depth. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. NVivo software was used for data coding, organization, and visualization. Ethical considerations, including informed consent and participant anonymity, were rigorously maintained throughout the research process. Three major themes emerged from the analysis: (1) the legal boundaries of political voice, including the role of vague laws, selective enforcement, and judiciary complicity in silencing dissent; (2) informal expressions of political voice, such as artistic expression, digital anonymity, coded language, and private discourse; and (3) the interplay of risk, agency, and moral justification in deciding when and how to speak politically. Participants described navigating a precarious legal landscape with awareness of risk, often balancing fear with ethical commitment to civic responsibility. Despite legal constraints, political voice persisted through creative, strategic, and contextually grounded forms of expression. In authoritarian contexts like Iran, political voice is not merely suppressed but reconfigured through legal ambiguity, cultural adaptation, and individual agency. The findings underscore the importance of understanding political participation beyond formal mechanisms, recognizing the nuanced ways in which law shapes, constrains, and inspires political expression under repression.
Downloads
References
Arjomand, S. A. (2007). Constitutional Politics in the Middle East: With Special Reference to Iran. Hart Publishing.
Bayat, A. (2010). Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East. Stanford University Press.
Berman, P. S. (2019). Authoritarian legalism and legal pluralism. Jurisprudence, 10(1), 17–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/20403313.2018.1559835
Diamond, L. (2002). Thinking about hybrid regimes. Journal of Democracy, 13(2), 21–35. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2002.0025
Donohue, L. K., & Zhibin, L. (2020). Surveillance, speech, and autocracy: The rise of legal digital authoritarianism. Harvard Law Review, 133(6), 1502–1565.
Dryzek, J. S. (2000). Deliberative Democracy and Beyond: Liberals, Critics, Contestations. Oxford University Press.
Ewick, P., & Silbey, S. S. (1998). The Common Place of Law: Stories from Everyday Life. University of Chicago Press.
Ginsburg, T., & Moustafa, T. (Eds.). (2008). Rule by Law: The Politics of Courts in Authoritarian Regimes. Cambridge University Press.
Hirschl, R. (2004). Towards Juristocracy: The Origins and Consequences of the New Constitutionalism. Harvard University Press.
Holmes, S. (2020). The Anatomy of Illiberalism. Harvard University Press.
Human Rights Watch. (2018). Iran: Events of 2018. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/iran
Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2010). Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War. Cambridge University Press.
Moustafa, T. (2007). The Struggle for Constitutional Power: Law, Politics, and Economic Development in Egypt. Cambridge University Press.
Pearlman, W. (2013). Emotions and the Microfoundations of the Arab Uprisings. Perspectives on Politics, 11(2), 387–409. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592713001022
Sadjadpour, K. (2011). Reading Khamenei: The World View of Iran’s Most Powerful Leader. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Schedler, A. (2006). The Logic of Electoral Authoritarianism. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Shams, B. (2015). Legal Restrictions on Freedom of Expression in Iran. Middle East Law and Governance, 7(1), 36–55. https://doi.org/10.1163/18763375-00701003
Sreberny, A., & Khiabany, G. (2010). Blogistan: The Internet and Politics in Iran. I.B. Tauris.
Wedeen, L. (1999). Ambiguities of Domination: Politics, Rhetoric, and Symbols in Contemporary Syria. University of Chicago Press.
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
