Scientific Professionalism Among Iranian Scientific Associations: Beyond Sociology and Liberal Academic Contexts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7577/pp.6524Keywords:
scientific professionalism, academic achievement, extra-academic professionalism, scientific societies, Iran, hybrid professionalismAbstract
This article examines how scientific professionalism is organized under institutional constraints and structural pressures. It extends Burawoy’s fourfold typology—professional, critical, policy, and public—beyond sociology to other sciences, focusing on Iranian scientific associations. Professional work concerns intra-disciplinary standards; critical work reflects scientific assumptions and practices; policy work addresses institutional problem-solving and decision-making; and public work connects expert knowledge to wider publics. Drawing on survey data from 100 active Iranian scientific associations, the article shows that all four forms of professionalism can be identified beyond sociology, but not as clearly distinct roles. Scientific professionalism in Iran is weighted toward the professional dimension: critical reflection remains largely embedded in professional standards, while public and policy engagement overlap through semi-formal or institutional channels. In summary, typologies developed within liberal academic environments require reinterpretation when applied to non-liberal contexts characterized by centralized governance and oversight, metric-driven evaluation, limited public visibility, and political influence.
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