Religious Authority and Political Thought in Twelver Shi‘ism: From ‘Ali to Post-Khomeini By Hamid Mavani (New York: SUNY, 2013. 288 pages.)

Utilizing a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, Hamid Mavaniexamines the locus of religious authority and its contemporary expression inTwelver Shi‘ism. Starting with the time of the Prophet, he provides a comprehensiveand nuanced analysis of the doctrine of the Imamate and Shi‘i religiousand political authority from traditional, rational, theological, andpolitical perspectives.The first part of the book, comprising three chapters, …