Historical Image of "Iranian National Identity" in Ancient Times and The Middle Ages

The national identity is the collective, historical consciousness of a particular national community of itself as a cultural-political entity in its own right. This consciousness includes collective perceptions or images about the place of the nation in the world and its relations with others, a common territory, national culture, symbolization, common ceremonies, and its institutions particularly political and administrative organizations making the national unity possible. As discussed in the conceptual framework, the national identity, in any certain case, refers to an imaginary consciousness as a reference which is mediating between the collective mind and the objective world. The imaginary is the product of the collective experience and consciousness of a nation during its history. Examining the appearance and the permanence of the historical, cultural, and political image of Iran within the Iranians’ consciousness during the ancient and the medieval ages of Iranian history, this article explains the historical continuity of Iranian identity - in terms of the national identity before the nationalism. Building on Castoriadis's imaginary institutions' theory, this study provides evidence from Iranian history to explore the dynamics of Iranian identity throughout history.