The Nation-State in Iran: A Political-Philosophical Perspective by Ahmad Bostani

The Nation-State in Iran: A Political-Philosophical Perspective

Ahmad Bostani

Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

First published in the Middle East Studies Journal (MESJ), Vol. 28, No. 1 - Serial No. 103, Spring 2021

Contemporary Iran, as a complex and evolving society, is grappling with numerous transitions, but it seems that the lack of a theory for the Iranian nation and state is our most important challenge today. At a time when the world and its relations have been profoundly transformed, we need to formulate a theory for national identity and defend the nation-state in its new sense. The lack of national understanding and relative consensus on these fundamental concepts has led to serious challenges in Iranian society.

On the one hand, in the absence of a codified theory of national identity, other elements have sometimes replaced the key concept of the nation-state, and sometimes a traditional, pre-modern understanding of the concept of Iranian nationality is taken as a basis, which, despite its importance, lacks relevance and efficacy for the needs of today's complex world. On the other hand, the influence of certain Western ideologies and political theories that emphasize elements such as ethnicity, language, race, and the like, or discussions of identity politics that lead to the weakening of national identity, have caused concepts and concerns to emerge in the minds and language of some elites and political activists that undermine the nation-state.

The aim of this writing is a philosophical defense of the idea of the Iranian nation-state and national identity, not nationalism as an ideology. Therefore, on the one hand, we will defend a conception of the nation based on new theories in political philosophy grounded in social imagination and imaginaries, and on the other hand, we will critique and evaluate some models that negate or weaken national identity and its importance.

Download the PDF file of the article from Server 1 | Server 2