Introduction and Objectives

The Iranian Constitutional Revolution marks a pivotal turning point in the intellectual history of Iran, creating a fertile ground for the influx of modern discourses, notably social democracy. In examining this influx, previous literature has predominantly been influenced by an "exclusivist" approach, arguing that Iranian society lacked the necessary structural prerequisites to authentically comprehend this ideology; thus, the encounter is often dismissed as a historical "misunderstanding" or a "flawed copy." The primary objective of this research is to transcend this reductionist approach and elucidate the complex process of the entry, settlement, and metamorphosis of social democratic thought within the Constitutional era. By applying Edward Said’s theory of "Traveling Theory," this article aims to demonstrate that social democracy in Iran underwent a profound metamorphosis, evolving into an indigenous, independent model termed "National-Religious Social Democracy."



Methodology

Employing a "historical-conceptual analysis" method and a qualitative-interpretive approach, this study investigates primary texts and documents from the Constitutional period. The data collection corpus includes internal documents of the "Caucasian Social Democrat Fraction," the "Mashhad Manifesto," and the content of three pivotal newspapers: Al-Jamal, Sur-e Esrafil, and Mosavat. The data analysis process is fundamentally grounded in Edward Said’s theoretical framework, systematically tracing the four stages of traveling theory—point of origin, passage, conditions of acceptance, and metamorphosis—with a specific focus on the key concepts of "domestication" and "transgressive theory."



Findings

The analysis reveals that social democracy traversed distinct phases during its travel to Iran. In the "origin and passage" stage (from Europe to the Caucasus), the theory crossed Iranian borders with a violent, materialistic radicalism entirely incompatible with Iran’s agrarian and religious texture. During the "conditions of acceptance" stage (the Mashhad Conference), to survive political isolation, the theory adopted a "domestication" strategy; it moderated radical economic demands (such as outright land confiscation), prioritized political reform over economic revolution, and utilized Islamic discourse to acquire legitimacy. However, in the final "metamorphosis" stage, the theory fragmented into a pluralistic spectrum: Al-Jamal offered a fully domesticated, defensive narrative by Islamizing modern concepts (e.g., equating law with God's decree); Sur-e Esrafil transformed into a "transgressive theory" through religious intellectualism and references to thinkers like Jean Jaurès, proposing an economic transition even more radical than the European model; and Mosavat revived the theory's radical, class-based dimension by reversing priorities (prioritizing justice over freedom).



Results and Conclusion

The results indicate that the final model of social democracy in Iran was neither a cohesive ideology nor a duplicated copy. Instead, it emerged as a dynamic, polyphonic discourse. Contrary to the common assumption that traveling theory inevitably becomes "tame" or diluted, this study demonstrates that the process of indigenization actually amplified its critical power in certain instances (manifesting as a transgressive theory). The salient features of this metamorphosed model include a shift in enemy-identification from the bourgeoisie to domestic despotism and foreign colonialism; the functionalization of religion (transforming from a cognitive obstacle into an engine of legitimation); and the preservation of social justice as its stable core. Ultimately, the introduction of social democracy to Iran was not a historical misunderstanding, but a sophisticated, necessary process aimed at intertwining three pivotal elements: "social justice," "political freedom," and "national-religious identity." Though historically incomplete, this intellectual synthesis left a profound and enduring legacy on Iran's intellectual history.

Keywords: Traveling Theory, Edward Said, Social Democracy, National-Religious, Constitutional Revolution, Indigenization, Metamorphosis of Thought.