Memory and Religion in Iran; Transformations and Perspectives

In the present paper, the transformations in Iranians’ memory (with an emphasis on their religiosity) is explained and the role of power relations is analyzed. For this purpose, three types of memory technologies (oral, literacy (print) and digital (electronic)) and their impacts on the formation of memory ecologies in different periods (pre-modern, modern, and the present) will be discussed. Then, the role of power relations in the production, accumulation, and transition of Iranian religious memory (or religious information, knowledge and rituals) is analyzed, based on the approach and method of "cultural analysis". It will be shown that with the transition to the modern era, the power of agency and role of Iranians in their religious memory shifted from the public toward the benefits of the intellectuals and the state. In fact, the argument is that in the modern era, the power of Iranians' memory production and reproduction in terms of redefining the position of religion declined, and instead the role of modern structures (such as literacy)— through the production of intellectuals’ meta-memories as well as the state—increased. However, as will be mentioned, with the advent of digital (or electronic) memory technologies in the production, accumulation, and transition of religious knowledge as well as memory, the Iranians’ memory ecology has been transformed once again, and thereby, the (religious) meta-memories are being replaced by the plural memories and the role of Iranian public agency in their religious memory is being restored.