Forming national identity in Iran : the idea of homeland derived from ancient Persian and Islamic imaginations of place / Ali Mozaffari.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mozaffari, Ali, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Islam and culture--Iran.

Islam and culture.

Nationalism--Iran.

Nationalism.

Iran--Civilization.

Iran.

Iran--Social life and customs.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (429 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : I.B. Tauris, 2014.

Language Note:

English

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Summary:

"Modern Iran is a country with two significant but competing discourses of national identity, one stemming from ancient pre-Islamic customs and mythology, the other from Islamic Shi'i practices and beliefs. At one time co-existing and often mutually reinforcing, in more modern times they have been appropriated by intellectuals and the state who have drawn upon their narratives and traditions to support and authenticate their ideologies. The result has been an often-confused notion of identity in Iran. In this essential work, Ali Mozaffari explores the complex processes involved in the formation of Iranian national identity. He lays particular stress upon the importance of place, for it is through the concept of place that collective national identity and ideas of homeland are expressed and disseminated. The author reveals the ways in which homeland is conceived both through designated permanent sites and ritual performance, illustrating his arguments through an analysis of the ancient Achaemenid capital of Persepolis and the Shi'i rituals of Moharram. In a final part of the book, he extends his analysis to the Ancient Iran Museum and the Islamic Period Museum, housed in the National Museum of Iran, showing how the major transformations of twentieth-century Iran, which have so far been perceived in terms of political discourses and historical events, are in fact concerned with conceiving place. Forming National Identity in Iran offers powerful insights into the forces shaping national identity in Iran, which makes it a valuable contribution to the cultural and political importance of place--Bloomsbury Publishing."

Contents:

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part I : Two Broad Patterns of Place Part II: What Is Persian? Redemptive Dreams of Homeland and Identity Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780755608072

0755608070

9780857723987

0857723987

9780857734969

0857734962

OCLC:

889813364