Margaret Archer: Cultural Morphogenesis and Agency

Extended Abstract
 
Introduction and Objectives: Margaret Archer, focusing on agency, culture, and structure, and emphasizing the complex interactions between these three domains, offers a distinctive perspective for analyzing social and cultural issues. Taking an integrative approach, she distinguishes between the categories of structure, culture, and agency, and explains, based on the principle of “analytic dualism,” that these three domains are independent entities but causally dependent on each other. Archer’s main framework, namely “cultural morphogenesis,” or the development of cultural form, explains the process of change and stability in culture, structure, and agency over time and shows how the longitudinal interaction between previous structures and human actions can lead to the transformation or reproduction of social phenomena. In her thinking, structure consists of material positions, roles, power, interests, and relations; culture includes beliefs, meanings, and epistemological propositions; and agency constitutes the realm of human decision, action, and reflection. Using a cognitive approach, he divides culture into two levels of compatible and incompatible thoughts and shows how actors influence each other in their socio-cultural interactions and can shape morphogenesis. The aim of the present study is to analyze Archer’s theory from a multifaceted perspective and examine its potential in studying the social and cultural phenomena of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. The Constitutional Revolution, as one of the most important events in contemporary Iranian history, was the scene of discourses, cultural conflicts, and collective efforts for political and social reforms. The innovation of this study is in applying a Western theory to an Iranian socio-historical experience, in order to reveal new dimensions of the cultural and structural dynamics of the constitutional revolution and to identify the limitations of this theory.
Research Method: The present study was developed using a descriptive-analytical method. In this method, a phenomenon or issue is described in detail and then the reasons and relationships between the elements of that phenomenon are analyzed and explained. In fact, the present research method is a combined method including two descriptive and analytical approaches. Therefore, in the present study, Archer’s theoretical framework was first developed from multiple angles. Then, historical sources related to the Constitutional Revolution, including books, review articles, and detailed information about events, individuals, groups, and ideas related to the Constitutional Revolution, were collected and adapted to Archer’s general theoretical propositions to show how the concepts of Archer’s theory can help to better understand the dynamics of the Constitutional Revolution. In this method, an attempt was made to present a coherent and convincing argument using historical evidence and theoretical concepts. In this regard, the analyses focused on the interaction between human agency and the cultural and political structures of the revolution in order to clearly explain the processes of cultural-structural morphogenesis and morphostasis. Also, an attempt was made to examine the relationships between different social groups and their temporary coalitions with structural and cultural elements in order to show how convergences and contradictions played a role in shaping the results of the revolution. In this way, the present study not only describes the events, but also understands the deep mechanisms of cultural and structural changes within the framework of Archer’s theory and presents a coherent and convincing argument.
Results: The Iranian Constitutional Revolution can be analyzed in four stages from the perspective of Archer’s cultural morphogenesis. This revolution was an example of the complex interaction between human agency and cultural and social structures. The first stage involves the formation of cultural and social dissatisfaction. The ineffectiveness of the monarchy structure and the conflict between modernist ideas and traditional culture provided the basis for the entry of human agency into the arena of change. In fact, this revolution began with a temporary alliance of traditional (clergy, tribes) and modern (intellectuals, merchants) groups in response to structural (tyranny, foreign influence) and cultural (tradition versus modernity) inconsistencies; the second stage was the organization of agencies and the formation of cultural and political interest groups; intellectuals promoted new ideas through councils, associations, and the press, and aligned themselves with the constitutionalist clergy and attempted to attract the support of social and economic groups. In this stage, by reinterpreting and recombining existing cultural elements, the different reflective consciousness of these groups, from metareflection to autonomous reflection and relational reflection, led to collective actions such as sit-ins and the conquest of Tehran; the third stage is characterized by the culmination of structural crisis and conflicts; The conflict between the monarchy and allied groups intensified cultural-political power coalitions and conflicts, and the limits of human agency to bring about profound change became apparent; the fourth stage was the formation of final outcomes and consequences; the constitution was ratified and the emerging cultural and political structures were relatively consolidated; but many elements of traditional culture were preserved. For this reason, instead of realizing profound morphogenesis, only cultural morphostasis occurred and no fundamental change in the cultural-political order was achieved. In sum, the Constitutional Revolution shows that even with collective action and temporary unity of traditional and modern groups, the consolidation of structural and cultural changes requires sustainable convergence, strong institutionalization, and internalization of modern ideas at the social level.
Discussion and Conclusion: The Iranian Constitutional Revolution is a clear example of the complex interaction between human agency and cultural and social structures. Although constitutionalist groups were able to form temporary alliances and establish a parliament and a constitution, these achievements remained mainly at the institutional and theatrical level. Coalitions were successful only in the initial stage of collective action and never developed into sustainable collective agency. Ideological differences between the clergy, intellectuals, and merchants, the lack of an independent middle class, strong civic institutions, and a citizen mentality prevented structural changes from being consolidated at the real level of power, and the autocratic monarchy was reproduced despite the appearance of a constitutional monarchy. At the cultural level, new constitutional ideas such as the rule of law, separation of powers, and citizen rights entered the official discourse; but society failed to internalize them. Personalistic relationships, tribal loyalty, and a serf mentality continued to dominate, and only a modern cover was created over traditional structures. According to Archer’s theory, this situation is an example of cultural-structural morphostasis. Initial changes and institutional appearances were realized; but a deep and lasting transformation in the social and cultural order did not occur. Archer’s analysis of the constitutional period shows that true morphogenesis requires the existence of sustained collective agency, cultural-structural convergence, and broad social support. Without these factors, revolutions may only have superficial and temporary achievements; while traditional structures and culture are reproduced in a new guise; as the experience of the constitutional period clearly shows.
Acknowledgements and thanks: The author sincerely thanks all the professors, researchers, and scientific sources used in this research, as well as the editorial board of the journal.
Conflict of interest: The author confirms that there is no conflict of interest in the preparation and writing of this article.