Process Tracing Technique and the Studies on National Identity in Iran: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research Papers

Using the process tracing technique, this paper attempted to examine the characteristics of qualitative research papers about national identity in Iran after the Islamic Revolution. The findings revealed that Iranian researchers were not fully cognizant of the process tracing technique in order to recognize the characteristics, causes, and influential factors of national identity in post-Revolution Iran. The findings also demonstrated that although the selected papers had considerable and practicable results, they had some methodological problems including reducational image, the difficulty of comparability negligence of new techniques, emphasis on political and cultural factors, and the absence of casual linking mechanisms.