Iranian Identity; A Critique of the Views and the Necessity of a Historical Approach

National identity is the most important cultural and historical asset of any country that was formed in the distant past and continues from generation to generation. The lack of a historical view of national identity can lead to contradictory and deflective approaches that are sometimes controversial. The historical context of an identity is so important that some thinkers consider identity to be essentially a historical category and believes that the national identity of any country has arisen from the accumulation of a nation's qualities throughout history and therefore a common history is considered the most important determinant of an identity. In this article, with the help of library and analytical method, some views and perceptions about the national identity of Iranians are studied and finally, by criticizing them, the questions of what is necessary to have a historical approach and what is the consequences of its lacking, are answered. The findings of this study show that in order to narrate the identity of a nation and to distinguish right from wrong, having a historical approach is an undeniable necessity.