Discourse Analysis of Two Different Narrations on the Historical Battle of Dimdim Castle

The historical Battle of Dimdim Castle, occurred between Shah Abbas Safavi and Amir Khan, a Kurdish commander, has been narrated differently in Tarikh Alamaraye Abbasi and the novel Dimdim. The main question here is that what issues have led to the difference between the two narratives. This study tried to analyze the discourse of two narratives. It focused on the role of discourse in showing emergence of a specific stance in the narratives; that is, how discourse help determine the semantic and value relationships between different elements of the narratives. The analysis showed that the different narratives in the two works are the result of two opposing discourses, each depicting a specific type of politics and power attitude. Although none of the two narratives directly or explicitly points out the power element, the major discursive issues of both narratives are power and governance, manifested in two opposing discourses: The governance-oriented discourse dominating the narrative of Tarikh Alamaraye Abbasi is based on the centralization of power; and the minority-oriented discourse that exists in the narration of the novel Dimdim. Amir Khan as an activist subject is described in Tarikh Alamaraye Abbasi as a rebel who stands against the government, but the same person bears the role of a national hero in the novel Dimdim.