Genealogy of the Bases of National Identity in Nationalistic Historiography of Qajar and Constitutional Periods

Subject Areas :

Mohammad Ali Alizadeh ¹ , Ali Mohammad Tarafdari ²

1 - Islamic Azad University- Shahrood Branch
2 - Islamic Azad University-Tehran Science and Research Branch

Received: 2019-07-05 Accepted : 2019-07-05 Published : 2010-05-22

Keywords: Historiography, Qajar Era, Constitution Revolution, National identity, Nationalism, Regressive,

Abstract :

The rise of nationalistic historiography in Qajar and Constitutional Periods is one of the most important factors in formatting modern national identity in contemporary Iran. History and historiography are undoubtedly two of the most important manifestations of the presence and appearance of cultural nationalism. From the time when nationalism, as a modern ideology was introduced in Iran in the 19th century, the bulk of Iranian cultural questions, including historiography and the kind of approach to the past, were influenced by this ideology. Therefore, a new type of historiography and rewriting of the past appeared among the intellectuals of the Qajar and Constitutional periods, on the bases of which Iranian historiographers began to rethinking history of Iran from a nationalistic view, and especially, they tried to revive and to glorify Iran's greatness and magnificence in ancient times to revival national pride in the hearts of the Iranian nation. As a consequence of the emergence of this view-point, history and historiography were gradually turned into means to lay the foundation of a type of national identity among Iranian people on the basis of ancient times. This tendency was greatly intensified among Iranian intellectuals after victory of Constitutional Revolution. The historiographers of this period were, in particular, greatly affected by nationalistic attitudes in the study of the activities of Iran’s ancient kings to reinforcement Iranians’ ancient identity. This process, which now is called Archaism, had a great effect in introducing the ancient times of Iran as the main basic for Iranians’ real and national identity. The aim of the present paper is to investigate and scrutinized the extent of the effects of the ideology of nationalism on historiography and historiographers' attitude of this period on the bases of the main historical and literal sources of the same era, and the role of nationalistic historiographies on the development of nationalist views in Iranian history writing among Iranian intellectuals and the contemporary political and cultural men of this period.