نشریه مطالعات ملی
سال چهارم شماره 3 (پیاپی 15، پاییز 1382)

The objective of the present article is to specify the status of national identity in the course of history. The author tries to find an answer to the following questions: Did Iran, as a geographical, historical entity - that is, an entity with territorial borders and specific historical heritage, with its government and culture - find a significative atmosphere and came to the fore as a political discourse? Is Iran, as an entity with territorial and historical continuity, a result of continuation of modern nationalist discourses, as some thinkers advocate in their nationalist studies and their research about national identity, particularly in their postmodern and ethnic approaches? Or, contrary to these approaches, the Iranian national identity - that is, an approach based on historical, cultural and territorial continuity - is not limited to the modern era, rather it enjoys historical roots. Is emphasis on the historical backgrounds of pre-Islamic era of Iran and Iranians a modern atavist political discourse which has been created by the atavist Iranian intellectuals of the 20th century? Is the concept of national identity, nationality, and nation a social structure or an essential, natural old concept? Should the Iranian national identity, Iranian nationality and the Iranian nation be considered as an ancient, essential phenomenon or a kind of discursive, social organizational concept?

The formation of the first monarchical dynasty in Iran, the Medes,repared the grounds for the emergence of a political, social and geographical being based on territory, geography, and government, which became expressly manifest as Iran and Iranshahr (Iranian state) during the Sasanid era. The collapse of the Sasanid dynasty in effect dissolved this independent entity in a totality called Dar ul Islam or Islamic ummah. Although the Iranian identity continued to prosper within the framework of cultural and lingual features, the Iranian elements from the early centuries of the Islamic period created serious challenges when they tried for the independence and restoration of the Iranian entity. The collapse of the Abbasid dynasty and formation of the Ilkhanid government prepared the grounds for the restoration of the concept of Iran and Iranshahr. Rashiduddin Fazlullah Hamedani, a renowned bureaucrat of the Ilkhanid era, played a significant role in the restoration of the concept of Iran. He spared no efforts to elaborate on the issue from theoretical and practical points of view. The present article is an attempt to review his scholarly work, Jame' ul Tavarikh, to shed light on his efforts for the restoration of the concept of Iran as a state.

The Present article is an attempt to revisit the features of Iranian identity in two historical sources of the middle history, that is, Tarikh Beilaqi and Tarikh Jahngoshai Joveini. Attempts have been made to show that during the rule of Turks and Mongols, the mainstream of social trend was to wards reviving the Iranian identity by relyng on the cultural factors. Although this trend was slow and inherent, it was continuous and steadfast. Beihaqi pays attention to religion as one of the main elements of identity, while during the time of crisis of identity, Joveini, besides the religion, employs such cultural elements as the Iranian myths and legends, trying to amed the social gaps and bring about social unity and solidarity throught assimilation.

Mahmoud Afshar and Rashid Yassami were two intellectuals of the current hegira century, whose thoughts left a deep impact on the formation of the dicsourse of nationoal unity in Iran. They considered such ancient ties as language, history, race, religion and culture as the underlying bounds of the solidarity of the Iranian Nation. Of course in their viewpoints and said elements did not have similar weights, for Afshar laid more emphasis on the language while Yassami paid more attention to the history.

The Present article tries to show that there is change in the approach of the Abdul Hussein Zarinkub to national identity durng his scientific life. His historiography moved from the intellectual discoures of laying emphasis on ancient history to realism. He tried to diccuss national identity free from his Iranian prejudical and racial attachments and laid emphasis on cultural aspects. The focal point of his attention in national integrity is the theory of hauman culture. He maintains that due to the geographical dispersion and diversity and multiplicity of ethnic communities, it is not possible to bring about national integrity through ethnic or lingual domination of a territory. Hence, he maintains, human culture must be spread.

The present article is an attempt to revisit historical indentity in the historiography and historical sociolgy of Iran. The main focus of the present article is introduction of theoretical and methodological trends in a specifice part of the historiographical and historical sociological literatures of Iran. This article has two parts: the theoretical and methodological trends in a specific part of the historiographical and historical sociological literatures of Iran; and depiction of the theoretical and metholdolgical historiography and historical sociolgoy of Iran (few examples) around the pivot of historical idenity.

The Present article is an attempt to explain the behavior of the people of kohkiluyeh–Boyer Ahmad Province during the electioneering. The findings of the paper indicate that main reason for the emergency of illegal behavior during the elections in competitions, including those among the tribal, ethnic and interest group. In other stages, other factors such as values, norms, relative depravity, and method of participation contribute to their behavior.