Iranian Nationalism and Political Modernization in Iranian Newspaper

Mohammad Taqi Bahar (Malek o-Sho’ara), journalist, scholar, literary figure, and politician, is a prominent figure in the contemporary history of Iran. By publishing Nobahar newspaper he managed to have a significant impact on the social and political movements of his time. This research conducts a discourse analysis study on his editorials during the tripartite eras of the publication of Nobahar (Iranian Constitutional Revolution, Reza Shah’s reign, and the aftermaths of the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran). According to the findings of this study the two main discourses present in his articles are “Iranian nationalism” and “political modernization”. Furthermore, the results show that the discourse of “Iranian nationalism” is marked by components such as historical glory, independence, and hatred and aversion towards aliens; and the discourse of “political modernization” is identified through an interest in the components of Western civilization, modernity, intellectual revolution and reforming the power structure.