Accommodating Cultural Difference and National Solidarity in Iran: In Search of a Conceptual Framework

As a consequence of increasing literature on multiculturalism, cultural identity and cultural self-rule during the last four decades or so, the concept of nation-state and the realm of national government have been subject to dramatic changes. In a similar trend, due to the development of globalization, revising the classical functions of the state machinery looks more urgent than ever. Different accounts of national and cultural identity, widespread demands of recognizing cultural difference through arguing for the rights of cultural communities living within the boundaries of a country, and the changing nature of concepts like national security and interests, suggest that political theorists should look for a more adequate conception of national integrity which consists with such changes as variety of alternatives to the classical interpretation. Having John Rawls’s overlapping consensus in mind, I shall offer a similar model among cultural communities in Iran by employing the historically situated and shared Iranian-religious identity and granting cultural autonomy.