From the emergence in the traditional paradigm to the decline in the modern paradigm:The position of the Safavids in the historiography of the Qajar period

The historiography of the Qajar period, under the influence of the discourse of modernity and its requirements, went through a historical experience. The result of this development was the creation of boundaries between the two historical perspectives of tradition and modern as two distinct paradigms. Based on this discursive development, a double reading of the Safavid issue also took place. In the first narrative of lived experiences, ideological requirements and historical perspectives aligned with the traditional historiographical paradigm, the memory of the Safavids was narrated with a kind of pride, and of course as a source of legitimacy with a proud and epic tone. On the opposite point and from the perspective of critical and modernist historians aligned with the modern discourse, all those previous characteristics and criteria were reversed from a new perspective, the position of the Safavids was reduced to a burdensome, decadent and anti-modern position. Based on these two approaches, the problem of this research is how did the rise and fall of the Safavids occur in these two historiographical perspectives? This question will be answered in an analytical way and based on the content criticism of the narratives of historians of the Qajar period. The hypothesis of this article is that in proportion to the transition from tradition discourse to modernity and the beginning of the gradual dominance of modern discourse in this period, the position of the Safavids also fell from a legitimizing, lofty and proud position to a low position and became an important pillar in the degeneration of the historians of this period. The course was converted.