Mohsen Kadivar | Scholars@Duke

Mohsen Kadivar
Research Professor in the Department of Religious Studies

Mohsen Kadivar is a leading public intellectual, a theologian, and a research professor of Islamic studies at the Department of Religious Studies (Duke University). His interests span both classical and modern Islamic thought as well as comparative medieval philosophy and philosophy of religion with a special focus on Islamic philosophy, ethics, theology, jurisprudence, Qur'anic studies, Shi'i political thought, Islam and modernity (especially democracy and human rights), religion and politics, religion and science, the problem of evil, and comparative religious studies. Author of thirty books in Persian, six books were translated into Arabic, his recent books are /Human Rights and Reformist Islam/ and /Blasphemy and Apostasy in Islam (both Edinburgh U. Press, 2021). His forthcoming books are /Governance by Guardianship: Rule and Government in the Islamic Republic of Iran (Cambridge University Press) and /The illusion of Islamic Theocracy: The Transformation of Shi’ite Political Thought in the Islamic Republic of Iran (UNC Press). You can find more information about Kadivar’s recent works on his website: https://english.kadivar.com/

Office Hours

By appointment

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Research Professor in the Department of Religious Studies, Religious Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2015

Contact Information

403 Chapel Drive, 118 Gray Bldg., Box 90964, Durham, NC 27708
Room 216 Gray Building, Durham, NC 27708
mohsen.kadivar@duke.edu (919) 660-3521
Mohsen Kadivar Official Website

Background
Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., Tarbiat Modares University (Iran) 1999
- Certification of Ijtihad, Qom Seminary (Iran) 1980 - 1997
- M.A., University of Qom (Iran) 1993
- B.A., University of Qom (Iran) 1989
Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Visiting Research Scholar in the Department of Religious Studies, Religious Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2010 - 2015
- Visiting Instructor in Religion, Religious Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2009 - 2010
Academic Positions Outside Duke
- Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, US. 2008 - 2009
- Tenure position, Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy, Iranian Institute of Philosophy, Tehran, Iran. 2008 - 2011
- Tenure position, Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy, Iranian Institute of Philosophy, Tehran, Iran. 2007 - 2008
- Tenure position, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran. 2005 - 2007
- Tenure Track position, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran. 2002 - 2005
- Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran. 2000 - 2002
- Instructor, Department of Philosophy, Mufid University, Qom, Iran. 1993 - 1997
- Visiting Lecturer, Imam Sadeq University, Beheshti University, & Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran. 1992 - 1999
- Instructor of Islamic Law and its methodology, Ayatollah Golpayegani Madrasa, Qom Seminary, Iran. 1986 - 1995
- Instructor of Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Ethics, Feyziyeh School & Qom Seminary, Iran. 1985 - 1998
- Instructor of Arabic Literature, Razawiyeh Madrasa, Qom Seminary, Iran. 1982 - 1986
Recognition
In the News
- SEP 29, 2022
  
  Protests Grow More Frequent As Young Iranians Demand More Freedoms, Experts Say
- FEB 24, 2016 The Guardian
  
  Moshsen Kadivar comments: Iran's clergy view upcoming elections with wariness
- FEB 24, 2016 The Guardian
  
  Moshsen Kadivar comments: Iran's clergy view upcoming elections with wariness
- NOV 14, 2014 Al-Monitor
  
  Mohsen Kadivar comments: Iran lobbies to revoke Saudi Shiite cleric's death sentence
- AUG 25, 2014
  
  Kadivar to Explore Iranian Culture, History at Duke and UNC
- AUG 25, 2014 Duke Today
  
  Kadivar to Explore Iranian Culture, History at Duke and UNC
- JUL 16, 2014 Al-Monitor
  
  Mohsen Kadivar comments: Iran may legalize vigilantes to combat 'corruption and filth'
- NOV 20, 2013 Duke Today
  
  A New Iran?
- NOV 20, 2013
  
  A New Iran?
- NOV 8, 2013
  
  Duke and UNC Experts Discuss the "New Politics" of Iran Nov. 14
- NOV 8, 2013 Duke Today
  
  Duke and UNC Experts Discuss the "New Politics" of Iran Nov. 14
- AUG 14, 2013 Australian Broadcastings The World
  
  Exiled Iranian dissident Mohsen Kavidar on unrest in the Middle East
- AUG 5, 2013 Bloomberg News
  
  Mohsen Kadivar comments: Rohani's clout in Iran corridors of power may help nuclear deal
- JUN 21, 2013 Informed Comment
  
  Mohsen Kadivar: Irans new president is on a collision course with the supreme leader
- MAY 30, 2013
  
  Duke News Tip -- Exiled Dissident Says Iran's Election Won't Be Free, Fair or Competitive
Awards & Honors
- Recognized as "one of the top 5% of all undergraduate instructors in Trinity College for a small class. Duke University, Durham, NC. August 2016
Expertise
Subject Headings
- Ethics
- History
- Islam
- Law
- Philosophy
- Political science
- Religion
Global Scholarship
- Teaching
  - Iran (Islamic Republic of) (Country)
Research
Selected Grants
- Islamic Theocracy in the Secular Age awarded by National Humanities Center 2019 - 2020
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin awarded by Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin 2017
- A Human Rights and Islamic Law Program awarded by Open Society Institute, New York 2013 - 2014
Fellowships, Supported Research, & Other Grants
- Fellowship of National Humanities Center awarded by Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 2019 - 2020
- Fellow of Wissenschaftskolleg: awarded by Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin, Germany 2017
- Nannerl O.Keohane Distinguished Visiting Professor, awarded by Department of Religious Studies: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University at Durham, NC 2014
- Global Ethics Fellow awarded by Carnegie Council: The Voice of Ethics in International Affairs, New York, NY 2012 - 2014
- Visiting Scholar awarded by Islamic Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA, US 2002
- Hellman-Hammett Grant awarded by Human Rights Watch "to recognize the courage of writers around the world who have been targets of political persecution" 2000
Publications & Artistic Works
Selected Publications
- Books
  - Kadivar, Mohsen. The Era of Cooperation and Assistance. Vol. II. Essen, Germany: New Thought PRESS, 2021.
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  - Kadivar, Mohsen. Blasphemy and Apostasy in Islam. Translated by Hamid Mavani. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press, 2021.
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  - Kadivar, Mohsen. Human Rights and Reformist Islam. Translated by Nikky Akhavan. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press, 2021.
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  - Kadivar, Mohsen. ANIMOSITY TOWARDS WISDOM AND MORALITY. Essen, Germany: New Thought Press, 2020.
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  - Kadivar, Mohsen. Shedding Light on the Covert Assembly of Experts. Vol. I. Essen, Germany: New Thought PRESS, 2020.
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  - Kadivar, M. A Tribute to the Virtuous Theologian Ayatollah Montazeri. Vol. 2. The official website of Mohsen Kadivar, 2015.
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  - Kadivar, M. In the Presence of a Noble Theologian Ayatollah Montazeri. Vol. 1. The official website of Mohsen Kadivar, 2015.
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  - Kadivar, M. Impeaching Iran’s Supreme Leader’s Claim to Religious Authority. Vol. 2. Mohsen Kadivar Official Website, 2015.
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  - Kadivar, M. Examining the last years of Ayatollah S. Kazim Shari’atmadari’s life. Vol. 1. Mohsen Kadivar’s official website, 2015.
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  - Kadivar, M. Testing the Revolution and Regime with Ethical Criticism. Vol. 3. Official Website of Mohsen Kadivar, 2015.
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  - Kadivar, M. Al-Hukumat al-Wila’iyyah. Translated by Al-Sayyid Muhammad Hassan Al-Amin. Beirut: Arab Diffusion Company, 2015.
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  - Kadivar, M. The Green Call. Vol. 1. Mohsen Kadivar Official website, 2014.
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  - Kadivar, M. Apostasy, Blasphemy, & Religious Freedom in Islam. Vol. 2. Mohsen Kadivar’s official website, 2014.
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  - Kadivar, M. Appointive /Non-Elective State. Vol. 3. Mohsen Kadivar’s official website, 2014.
  - Kadivar, M. Impeaching Iran’s Supreme Leader on his Political Authority. Vol. 1. The official website of Mohsen Kadivar, 2014.
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  - Kadivar, M. The Rise and Fall of Azari Qomi. Vol. 2. Official Website of Mohsen Kadivar, 2014.
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  - Kadivar, M. Forgotten Interpretation of Leadership in Shi'i Islam. Translated by Sa’d Rustam. Beirut: Arab Diffusion Company, 2011.
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  - Kadivar, M. The State of the Guardian Jurist. Vol. 2. Tehran, Iran: Nashr-e Ney, 2008.
  - Kadivar, M. The Theories of State in Shi’ite Fiqh. Vol. 1. Tehran, Iran: Nashr-e Ney, 2008.
  - Kadivar, M. Shari’a and Politics: Religion in Public Sphere. Vol. 2. Mohsen Kadivar’s official website, 2008.
  - Kadivar, M. The Rights of Mankind in Islam. Vol. 1. Tehran, Iran: Kavir, 2008.
  - Kadivar, M. The Book of Intellect. Tehran, Iran: Ettella’at Publications, 2008.
  - Khurasani, Muhammad Kazim. Khurasani's Political Philosophy. Edited by M. Kadivar. Tehran, Iran: Kavir, 2008.
  - Kadivar, M. Nazariat al-Dawlah fi al-Fiqh al-Shi’i (The Theories of State in Shi’ite Law). Beirut: Dar al-Hadi, 2004.
  - Kadivar, M. The Concerns of a Religious State. Vol. 1. Tehran, Iran: Nashr-e Ney, 2000.
  - Kadivar, M. The Theories of State in Shi’ite Law. Beirut: Dar al-Jadid, 2000.
  - Kadivar, M., and Mohammad Nouri. A Bibliography of Rational Sciences in Iran since the beginning of modern publication in the 19th century until 1996. Vol. 1–3. Tehran: Entesharat-e Ettella’at, 2000.
  - Kadivar, M. The Price of Freedom. Edited by Zahra Roodi. Tehran, Iran: Nashr-e Ney, 1999.
  - Mudarris Tehrani, Agha Ali. The Compilation of the Works of the Sage & Originator Agha Ali Mudarris Tehrani, volume 1. Edited by M. Kadivar. Vol. 1. Tehran, Iran: Ettela’at Publications, 1999.
  - Mudarris Tehrani, Agha Ali. The Compilation of the Works of the Sage & Originator Agha Ali Mudarris Tehrani, volume 2. Edited by M. Kadivar. Vol. 2. Tehran, Iran: Ettela’at Publications, 1999.
  - Muddaris Tehrani, Agha Ali. The Compilation of the Works of the Sage & Originator Agha Ali Muddaris Tehrani, volume 3. Edited by M. Kadivar. Vol. 3. Tehran, Iran: Ettela’at Publications, 1999.
  - Kadivar, Mohsen. The illusion of Islamic Theocracy: The Transformation of Shi’ite Political Thought in the Islamic Republic of Iran (Unpublished). Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, n.d.
  - Kadivar, Mohsen. Governance by Guardianship. Edited by Mahmoud Sadri. Translated by Roy Mottahedeh, Ahmad Kazemi Moussavi, and Banafsheh Madaninejad. UK: Cambridge University Press, n.d.
- Academic Articles
  - Kadivar, M. “Democracy and ethical values from Islamic perspective.” Philosophy and Social Criticism 46, no. 5 (May 1, 2020): 563–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/0191453720909583.
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  - Kadivar, M. “Ijtihad in Usul al-Fiqh: Reforming Islamic Thought through Structural Ijtihad.” Iran Nameh 30, no. 3 (November 2015): XX–XXVII.
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  - Kadivar, M. “La naissance du «souverain juriste». Généalogie de la théorie de l’État shi’ite.” Edited and translated by Anoush Ganjipour. Les Temps Modernes 70, no. 683 (June 2015): 110–28.
  - Kadivar, M. “The birth of the "Sovereign Jurist". Genealogical theory of the Shi'ite state.” Temps Modernes 70, no. 683 (April 1, 2015): 110–28.
  - Kadivar, M. “From traditional Islam to Islam as an end in itself.” Welt Des Islams 51, no. 3–4 (December 1, 2011): 459–84. https://doi.org/10.1163/157006011X611632.
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  - Kadivar, M. “Avicenna & The classification of Philosophy.” Edited by M. Kadivar. The Journal of Sapiential Wisdom and Philosophy (Sophia Perennis) 5, no. 9 (February 2009): 35–106.
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  - Kadivar, M. “Avicenna & The classification of Philosophy.” Edited by M. Kadivar. The Journal of Sapiential Wisdom and Philosophy (Sophia Perennis) 5, no. 9 (February 2009): 35–106.
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  - Kadivar, M. “The Forgotten Interpretation.” Madrese (Quarterly) 1, no. 3 (May 2006): 92–102.
  - Kadivar, M. “Freedom of thought and religion.” Current History 104, no. 678 (December 1, 2005): 43–44.
  - Kadivar, M. “Political Innovative Ideas and Influences of Mulla Muhammad Kazim Khorasani.” Annals of Japan Association for Middle East Studies (Ajames) 21, no. 1 (September 2005): 59–73.
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  - Kadivar, M. “God and his guardians.” Index on Censorship 33, no. 4 (January 1, 2004): 64–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/03064220408537409.
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  - Kadivar, Mohsen. “An Introduction to the Public and Private Debate in Islam.” Social Research 70 (2003): 659–80.
- Book Sections
  - Kadivar, Mohsen. “Islam and the State from a Shi'ite Perspective.” In Secularism in Comparative Perspective — Religion across Political Contexts, edited by Jonathan Laurence, 23:57–80. Switzerland: Springer, 2023.
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  - Kadivar, Mohsen. “Rethinking Muslim Marriage Rulings through Structural Ijtihad.” In Justice and Beauty in Muslim Marriages: Towards Egalitarian Ethics and Laws, edited by Ziba Mir-Hosseini, Mulki Al-Sharmani, Jana Rumminger, and Sarah Marsso, 213–31. London: Oneworld, 2022.
  - Kadivar, Mohsen. “Dignity (Human)/ Karamah.” In Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World: Digital Collection, edited by John L. Esposito. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780197669419.001.0001.
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  - Kadivar, Mohsen. “Free Speech and Critique of Religion in Contemporary Islam.” In Free Speech, Scholarly Critique, and the Limits of Expression in Islam, edited by Liakat Takim, 3:131–51. Birmingham, U.K.: AMI Press, 2022.
  - Kadivar, Mohsen. “Rational Perception in Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra.” In Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra: On the Rediscovery of Aristotle and the School of Isfahan, edited by Reza Hajatpour and Maha Elkaisy-Friemuth, 3:85–99. Freiburg; München: Verlag Karl Alber, 2021.
  - Kadviar, Mohsen. “Toward Removing the Punishment of Apostasy in Islam.” In Freedom of Expression in Islam: Challenging Apostasy and Blasphemy Laws, edited by Muhammad Khalid Masud, Kari Vogt, Lena Larsen, and Christian Moe, 207–36. London, UK: I.B. Tauris, 2021.
  - Kadviar, Mohsen. “Genealogies of Pluralism in Islamic Thought: Shi'a Perspective.” In Pluralism in Islamic Contexts: Ethics, Politics and Modern Challenges, edited by Mohammad Hashas, 75–97. Switzerland: Springer, 2021.
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  - Kadivar, Mohsen. “Āqā 'Alī Mudarris Tihrānī.” In Philosophy in Qajar Iran, edited by Reza Pourjavady, 127:231–58. Leiden: Brill, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004387843_007.
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  - Kadivar, Mohsen. “Islam and Democracy: Perspectives from Reformist and Traditional Islam.” In The Politics of Islamism: Diverging Visions and Trajectories, edited by John L. Esposito, Lily Zubaidah Rahim, and Naser Ghobadzadeh, 23–45. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, Springer, 2018.
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  - Kadivar, M. “Human action within divine creation: A Muslim perspective.” In God’s Creativity and Human Action: Christian and Muslim Perspectives, edited by Lucinda Mosher and David Marshal, 14:7–22. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2017.
  - Kadivar, Mohsen. “Marvels of Wisdom (Badayi’ al-Hikam) of Agha Ali Mudarris Tihrani (Zunuzi).” In An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, Vol. 5: From School of Shiraz to Twentieth Century, edited by S. H. Nasr and M. Aminrazavi, translated by M. Kadivar and Nicolas Boylston, 5:471–88. London, New York: I.B.Tauris, 2015.
  - Kadivar, M. “Routinizing the Iranian Revolution.” In Islam in the Modern World, edited by Jeffrey T. Kenney and Ebrahim Moosa, 351–68. London and New York: Routledge, 2014.
  - Kadivar, M. “Revisiting Women's Rights in Islam: 'Egalitarian Justice' in lie of 'Meritocratic Justice'.” In Justice Through Equality: New Approaches to Muslim Family Law, edited by Z. Mir-Hosseini, L. Larsen, C. Moe, and K. Vogt, 213–34. London: I.B. Tauris, 2013.
  - Kadivar, M. “Routinizing the Iranian Revolution.” In Islam in the Modern World, 351–68, 2013. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203736340-28.
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  - Kadivar, M. “Wilayat al-faqih and Democracy.” In Islam, the State and Political Authority, Medieval Issues and Modern Concerns, edited by A. Afsaruddin, 207–24. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
  - Kadivar, M. “Human Rights and Intellectual Islam.” In New Directions in Islamic Thought: Exploring Reform and Muslim Tradition, edited by K. Vogt, L. Larsen, and C. Moe, 47–74. London: I.B.Tauris, 2011.
  - Kadivar, M. “Theories of Government in Shi’i Fiqh.” In Shi’ism, Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies Vol. 3: Law, Rite & Rituals, edited by P. Luft and C. Turner, 267–82. New York: Routledge, 2008.
  - Kadivar, M. “Freedom of Religion and Belief in Islam.” In The New Voices of Islam: Reforming Politics and Modernity – A Reader, edited by M. Kamrava, 119–42. London: I.B.Tauris, 2006.
  - Kadivar, M., and G. H. Ebrahimi Dinani. “The Ontological Initiations of the Inventive Philosopher Agha Ali Mudarres Tehrani: A Case Study of the Principality of Existence.” In An Anthology of Iranian Studies, 184–213. Tehran: Center for Cultural and International Studies, 2002.
  - Kadivar, M. “Political Rights of People in Islam.” In Islamic Views on Human Rights: The Viewpoints of Iranian Scholars, edited by E. Salami, 107–24. Tehran: Al-hoda International Publications, 2001.
Teaching & Mentoring
Recent Courses
Advising & Mentoring
- Arpan Bhandari, MA, Duke University, Fall 2018.
  
  Matthew Lynch, Dissertation Committee Member: “Rumi’s Masnavi and the Molding of the Religious Present. ”UNC at Chapel Hill, PhD, December 2018.
  
  Abdul Rahman Abdul Latif, Undergrad Honors Theses: “Muslim Perspectives of Evolution”, Duke University, anticipated April 2016.
  
  Daniel Spisak, MA, Duke University, Spring 2015.
  
  Lauren Wall, MA, Duke University, Spring 2014.
  
  Rose Aslan, Dissertation Committee Member: “From Body to Shrine: The Construction of Sacred Space at the Grave of `Ali ibn Abi Talib in Najaf.” UNC at Chapel Hill, PhD, May 2014
Teaching Activities
- RELIGION 377S / AMES 288S / POLSCI 379S / HISTORY 265 S: Religion and Politics in Post-Revolutionary Iran
  
  REL 527S / RIGHTS 527S: Islam and Human Rights

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Education, Training, & Certifications

Previous Appointments & Affiliations

Academic Positions Outside Duke

In the News

Awards & Honors

Subject Headings

Global Scholarship

Teaching

Selected Grants

Fellowships, Supported Research, & Other Grants

Selected Publications

Books

Academic Articles

Book Sections

Recent Courses

Advising & Mentoring

Teaching Activities