Identity and Otherness at the Time of Iran's Formative Period: Shahnameh's Humanist Outlook on Foreign Policy

Developments in the theories of international relations during the past several decades point to the parallel wane in the positivist outlook and growing emphasis on the role of culture in the analysis of foreign relations/policy. Hence, discussions on the interaction among culture, identity, and foreign relations have come to receive increasing attention and prominence. The present paper, relying on an analytical approach, undertakes to look at the impact of these factors on foreign relations from an Iranian historical perspective. To this end, the paper draws on the concepts of self and other as presented in Shahnameh, the epic work of Hakim Abolghassem Ferdowsi, and how they influence foreign relations. The paper looks into the distinction Ferdowsi makes between Iranians and non-Iranians [others], and raises the question of how to interpret Ferdowsi’s cultural approach? As argued in the paper, Ferdowsi looked at Iran’s foreign relations from a particular cultural perspective, which we call “Iranian-humanist perspective on foreign policy” - a perspective that respects sovereignty, and accords priority to ethical and human values over ethnic bias.