Investigating the issue of "self" and "other" in the works of Mirza Malkum

Iranian society in the Qajar era, on the verge of the constitution was under the tyrannical state and was an oppressed society, and the confrontation with the West – the civilized and powerful “other”, he revealed the depth of backwardness and disorder of this country and he reflected the ignorant and unconscious “self” of Iranians in front of their eyes. With his works and articles, Mirza MalkumKhan the intellectual of pre-constitutional period, had a great contribution in stimulating and turning people's thoughts to the “other” and passing through himself. He tried to revive the dying society of Iran by laying the groundwork for changing Qajar discourse and establishing the discourse of democracy. The main question of this article is how “self” and “other” has been reflected in Malkum's writings and the effect of his approach on the formation of Iranian cultural identity. The present study shows that by adopting political mechanisms while exposing the internal situation of the country and explicitly criticizing the current situation, Malkum also tries to marginalize and eliminate the long-standing monarchy discourse in Iran to highlight the European discourse and   promoting and developing position “the other” to deals with the West and the culture and manifestations of Western civilization, and the efforts of his works are engaged in establishing a liberal, law-abiding discourse through self-elimination and acceptance of “other”. In this research, “self” and “other” from Malkum's point of view are read by studying his collection of works and using the descriptive and analytical-historical methods.