Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

Conditions for the emergence and formation of the discourse of "Iranian civilization" in the historical context of the modern era

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Author

Reza Parsamoghadam

PhD Student in Economic Sociology and Development, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22035/isih.2024.5283.5013
Abstract
The central question of this paper is to investigate the historical conditions that enabled the emergence and formation of the discourse surrounding "Iranian civilization." In other words, what specific historical circumstances could facilitate the emergence of this particular form of discursive narrative (as opposed to others), and through which accumulations and concentrations of discourse has this new discursive system been produced and sustained up to the present moment? In this regard, the issue will be examined as an initial moment in the birth and development of discursive narratives (zero degree), focusing on the organizing cores of the knowledge-power system that led to the establishment of the theoretical foundations of "Iranian civilization." This analysis will be framed within Michel Foucault's archaeological methodology. By identifying and analyzing this zero-degree discourse, the initial and homogeneous moments of this narrative can be revealed, which are characterized by a lack of differentiation. This approach is reminiscent of Foucault's methodology in History of Madness. Following this process, a new discursive order emerges as a direct result of the accumulation and concentration of propositions surrounding this discourse. Specifically, this accumulation pertains to racially charged [Aryan], anti-Arab, and antiquarian propositions that emphasize a longing for a return to the lost grandeur and magnificence of ancient Iran as central signifiers within the discourse of "Iranian civilization. The concentration of these propositions around the narrative has generated a new discursive order that did not exist at zero degree. This discursive order is characterized by a dualistic formulation of Aryan [Iranian] and Semitic [Arab] as the theoretical foundation for Iranian civilization, thereby laying the groundwork for the emergence of this narrative. Prior to the emergence and hegemonization of Aryan nationalist and anti-Arab discourses—dominant within Iranian romantic nationalism that mourned for lost greatness—such a discursive order based on an Aryan-Semite dichotomy did not exist. This dichotomy later became established as a theoretical foundation for "Iranian civilization," specifically within contemporary narratives about Iranian civilization.

Keywords

Iranian Civilization
Discursive Formation
Aryan Race
Antiquarianism
Anti-Arabism
Aryan-Semite Dichotomy

Subjects

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