The Role of the Seminary in the Cultural Policy-Making in the Islamic Republic System of Iran: the Present Situation, and the Ideal Situation

One of the important and disputable issues in scientific debates is the question of cultural policy-making. Government, political groups, nonpolitical institutions, the elite, and populace are the main factors which influence policy-making. Furthermore, culture is considered to consist of four levels – beliefs, values, behavior, and symbols. In view of the ideological fundamentals, cultural policy-making in Islamic republic system has a fundamental and central role. On the other hand, the Seminary is regard as an important and effective institution in the Islamic system. The present paper investigates the role of the Seminary in the cultural policy-making in the present situation and the ideal situation. The research findings show that in the present situation, the major part of the seminary in the field of cultural policy-making is performed by actual people who have been trained in the Seminary, and the level of its influence is mainly on the deep levels of culture. But in the hoped-for or ideal situation attention should be directed to the influence of the Seminary as an independent policy-making institution in cultural policy-making and at all levels of culture.