Memory of Land Reform: A Case Study in Talesh Township, Gilan province, Iran

The current study investigates the land reform in the collective memory of people who experienced the event. Social cadres of collective memory and presentist approaches were used as theoretical approaches of the study. 20 samples were chosen based on theoretical sampling. Technique of data gathering was deep interview. All the samples were from Talesh township in Gilan province (Iran). The results showed that «class status» was the important social cadre of the samples’ collective memory. The collective memory of the samples with previous landlord and serf class status was different in terms of execution and infringement during the program accomplishment. The past serves recall it as fair and emancipated event. On the contrary, the past landlords remember it as a programme that did not consider minority of the local people’s ownership condition. After class statuas, religion and education were the important social cadres, respectively. The samples who had high religiosity at the time of land reform remembered that it was pretty against religious law. The educated samples had the most comprehensive and holistic view of the event.