Paper short abstract:

An inherent contradiction haunts every successful revolutionary movement: how to stay in power while keeping the revolution alive? This paper examines the complex labour of sustaining a revolution by exploring the work of the Basij Militias in Iran.

Paper long abstract:

An inherent contradiction haunts every successful revolutionary movement: how to stay in power while keeping the revolution alive? This paper examines the complex labour of sustaining a revolution by exploring the work of the Basij—a large, highly significant, yet understudied pro-regime paramilitary organisation in Iran. By delving into the everyday practices, discourses, and aspirations of its members, I analyse how the Basij understand revolution as an ongoing project of personal change and socio-economic transformation, and how this understanding often clashes with the task of maintaining political order. Arguing for a conception of revolution as a “constant force of contestation,” I address a fundamental political paradox: those loyal to a political system may, precisely because of their loyalty, criticise governance and statecraft when they perceive it to fall short of desired standards.