National Identity and Trends in the Course of Islamic Republic (The Role of Iranian's National Identity in Ups and Downs of Intellectual-Political Trends in the First Decade of Islamic Republic)

The periods of intellectual-political trends in the first decade of Iran’s Revolution can be divided into two: the period of active trends during the first three years after the victory of the Revolution which represent the same campaigning trends that existed before the Revolution andthese were“Islamic”, “national”, “leftist”, “eclectic”, and “criticalof modernity”; the period from 1360 and on in whichall trends exceptthe Islamic one, were gradually isolated or dissolved, thuslosing their influence in the political arena, or having less influence. In the second period, the political arena was basically under the control of the Islamic trend. These ups and downs, and continuation or isolation are ascribed to the relationship of each of these trends with the elements of Iranian national identity. “Iranianism” (consisting of such components as Persian language, Iranian etiquette, and … particularly political independence) along with “Shi‛ism” were two fundamental and interconnected factors of theIranian identity after Safavid period. Each of these trends either lasted or was omitted, andisolated depending on the scale of their relationship with and sensitivity to these components of identity.