نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله English
نویسنده English
Abstract
Drawing on Robert Putnam’s theory of social capital, this article seeks to address the question of how the functions and position of the Lions Club in Iran during the Second Pahlavi era can be explained. While Putnam regards voluntary associations and civic participation as key sources of social capital, the present study argues that such institutions—when situated within broader structures of power and international relations—can also serve as instruments for networking, extending norms of cooperation, and fostering trust across diverse regions of the world, including West Asia.
Based on archival documents, press resources, and primary sources, the article contends that in light of the political imperatives of the Cold War—when shaping public opinion and mobilizing socially active groups became central to effective policymaking in a bipolar world—the Lions Club, while maintaining certain traditional functions of classical Freemasonic organizations such as espionage and influence over high-level decision-making, in practice advanced the cultural, social, and political dominance of the Western bloc in Iran. It achieved this through expansive networking, the promotion of cooperative norms, and the cultivation of social trust.
Accordingly, the study demonstrates that a deeper understanding of the dynamics of so-called civil institutions in Iran during the Second Pahlavi era requires simultaneous attention to both the international political order of the Cold War and the domestic social and political conditions that shaped their activities.
کلیدواژهها English
