Ma`rifat Farhangi Ejtemaei

The problem of the relationship between structure and agency is one of the foundational and controversial issues in social theory, exerting a direct influence on the quality of analyses concerning phenomena such as labor organizations. This controversy originates in philosophy and has significantly shaped other human sciences, including sociology. Existing theories—from agency-centered to structuralist approaches, as well as various integrative perspectives—have not succeeded in moving satisfactorily beyond this entrenched dualism. Drawing on an analytical-developmental research method and a critical rereading of classical and contemporary texts alongside Islamic intellectual traditions, this article proposes a new conceptual framework entitled the “Theory of the Levels of Structure and the Levels of Agency.” The primary innovation of this theory lies in its differentiation among “types of structure” (expansive/restrictive; dense/subtle) and “types of agency” (formulated on the basis of concepts from Mullā Ṣadrā’s transcendent wisdom, including gradation, intensification, and existential amplitude). It also introduces “mediating factors” (such as the individual’s positionality, the integrative element, and the architects of structure). This framework enables a dynamic and hierarchical analysis of the interplay between structure and agency. In doing so, it channels concepts drawn from Ṣadrian philosophy into the field of sociology within an interdisciplinary study. The application of this theory to the analysis of the Jihad-e Sazandegi organization demonstrates how a distinctive combination of a subtle and expansive structure with forms of agency characterized by high degrees of existential strength and amplitude—illuminated by mediating factors such as the ideal of constructive development—contributed to the emergence of an effective revolutionary institution.