Analysis of Bahram Chobin̕s Biography in the Context of History and Shahnameh, Based on the Behavioral Heterogeneity of ‘Self and Other’ from the Perspective of Cultural Semiotics

Cultural Semiotics is one of the most important approaches to semiotics. Yuri Lutman is one of the founders of cultural semiotics, which defines culture and intercultural relationships based on how ‘Self’ and ‘Other’ interact within the sphere of a specific Semiosphere. Based on this model, in the first part of the present study, considering the historical awareness and narration of Shahnameh, the analysis of Bahram Choobin's relationship with Hormoz and Khosro Parviz is conducted. The research method in this study, while citing history and Shahnameh and library documents, has been based on describing and analyzing the relationships and incidents related to the above-mentioned personalities. The study examines the types of relationships among the three mentioned persons from the perspective of ‘Self/Other’ and ‘Center/Margin’ based on cultural semiotics. In the second part, the study has reached the supposed result by explaining the hegemonic role of some archetypes and historical Myths in ‘Othering’ by Bahram Choobin, The findings of this study show that according to the Semiosphere of the Sassanid era and the Shahnameh narrative of the actions of Bahram Choobin and Hormoz, Bahram has been identified as ‘Self’ and ‘Central’ due to his victory in the war with Saveh Shah, protection of Iran, and his loyalty to Hormoz. Hormoz has been removed from the position of ‘Self’ and ‘Central’ and has been placed in the position of ‘Other/Marginal’ due to its history of ill-treatment with Ashraf and Bahram. But Bahram Choobin has been determined to conquer the kingdom and has a desire that is contrary to the Semiosphere of the central government, the masses of people and his relatives. This degrades him from the position of the ‘Ideal Other’ to the ‘Other/Marginal’; therefore, the trend is reversed. At the same time with the uprising of Bahram Choobin against the central government, the role of some archetypes and historical myths has been very effective in emphasizing the role of Bahram Choobin in the Otherness non-culture position.