فصلنامه مطالعات تاریخ فرهنگی
پیاپی 48 (تابستان 1400)

One of the common misconceptions in the historical research of the last two centuries is that the southern part of the Caspian Sea in the Zoroastrian tradition has been the refuge of Diwan and Drujan. This idea is rooted in some historical events such as the domination of the Aryans over the indigenous people and conflict between the Zoroastrian religion and the indigenous religion of the region. The present study investigates the formation and evolution of this image,  examines the causes of this image and measures its validity The research shows that in Zoroastrian texts, Gilan and Mazandaran are not considered the place of the court, but the refuge of the ancient religion and Iranians. Negative views about these areas are a new phenomenon in Iranian studies and have no basis in the Zoroastrian tradition.

Familiarity and interest in the principles of civilization, culture, science and knowledge of Western countries and the application of their experiences and knowledge in Iran by sending students to those countries including the United States, was cone of the ideas of many Iranian statesmen and reformers. The present article focuses on these questions: why Iranian students were interested in going to the United States? What role did Iranian diplomats in the United States play in the entry of Iranian students into this country? And in what field did the students study? The paper, based on unpublished documents uses the descriptive-analytical method. The findings of the study indicate that the weakness of the Iranian education system and the ineffectiveness of sending students to Europe led Iranian political representatives in the United States to pursue the policy of studying Iranian students in the United States. Ali Qoli Khan Nabil al-Dawla and Hossein Alaei were among the diplomats who, by sending numerous reports to the government about US development in the field of science and education, succeeded in allowing Iranian students (even female students) to enter the United States and study in fields such as military technology, agriculture, medicine and engineering. In the last years of Qajar rule, scientific and educational relations between Iran and the United States improved, therefore, a significant number of Iranian students who were sent to the United States after graduation returned to Iran to serve the country.

Reza Shah's relations with Germany and the Nazi regime brought about new developments in Iran. The German engineers in this period played an important role in the development of the economy, industry and construction of buildings in various parts of Iran, including the region of Azerbaijan and  the cities of Tabriz, Urmia and Ardabil. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of the relations between Iran and Nazi Germany on the formation of a new architecture of public buildings in the aforementioned cities. The research uses the descriptive-analytical method and based on the historical documentary sources and field observations, investigates the common features of the selected buildings of Azerbaijan and German buildings between1312 to 1320 AH. The study shows the impact of the relations with Nazi Germany and the presence of German engineers in the emergence of Western neoclassical architecture in Iran. Also, it demonstrates that this development has led to the emergence of a new style of construction and the use of modern materials in the Azarbaijan region.

Most narratives and analyses about Kayhan and Ettelaa’at newspapers that were published before the Islamic Revolution, consider these newspapers as the explicit criticisms of modernity, however, they criticize parts of the newspapers, for instance, in these newspapers by comparing and contrasting artists such as Forough Farrokhzad with Parvin Etesami and Tahereh Saffarzadeh, cultural dualism was fostered. At the same time, the authors praise the positive dimensions of the newspapers such as moderating extreme Westernization by reviving indigenous identity, re-emphasizing original indigenous values, introducing new approaches in the field of education, and finally, introducing and praising the indigenousness art.

The spread of postmodern thought and poststructuralist approaches brought about major changes in fundamental human attitudes. One of the important areas that underwent major changes is the relationship between story and history. For years, the thinkers of humanities have made a profound distinction between the two. History was considered a science that represented reality, and literature was considered a field of imagination. Postmodern thought, while challenging this hypothesis, propose that historical writings are a kind of narrative and historians in selecting historical events like novelists use a plot, derived from the power of imagination. Based on this idea as well as the concept of metanarrative, Linda Hutchen focus on a new type of historical story in which while authors exposing the techniques of storytelling consciously seek to distort history. The novel "Edson Donacimento and His Himalayan Rabbit" by Jamshid Khanian is one of the notable example. In this work, the author tries to deal with the historical event of Abadan Cinema's fire by using the meta-story format. The present article uses a descriptive-analytical method to analyze the novel from the perspective of historiographical metanarratives. The research shows that the author of the novel, while correctly using some meta-fiction techniques such as revealing artificiality (story writing story), short circuit, ‌ deprivation of the author's authority and multiple endings, is well aware of the effect of imagination and unconsciousness during the process of storytelling

The emirs of Al-Muzaffar (713-795 AH) used their religious ideology to gain political legitimacy, and get public popularity. The consolidation of religious ideology was achieved through interaction with religious scholars. During the reign of Al Muzaffar,  the religious spirit overshadowed political and social issues, and rulers and religious scholars had a very close relationship. Religious thinkers with strong social role also gained considerable political power with the support of the government. This research attempts to show the important position of the religious scholars in the government of Al-Muzaffar and demonstrates how this position was created. This study which uses a descriptive-analytical method indicates that the religious scholars of this period in addition to educational, cultural and Judicial positions were also had a political role, such as interceding for rival factions in the countless wars of the Fitrat era, issuing takfir orders against opposition groups, and supporting some of the decisions of the Muzaffar rulers. In parallel with the important role of the ulema, the sultans, princes, ministers and women were also active and had a prominent role in areas like the construction of schools, mosques, libraries and allocation of endowments. The research concludes that these affairs and interactions between the rulers and the ulama helped the rulers to gain great political legitimacy.