Azam Ahmadi, political researcher - November 10, 2019
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The Islamic Republic has always been accused by its opponents of neglecting "ancient Iranian history." Many of these opponents are supporters of the Pahlavi regime, which emphasized nationalist ideology during its reign, sometimes adopting extremist tendencies. According to this group of opponents, the national identity has been sacrificed for the Shiite-Islamic identity of the Islamic Republic. Furthermore, this claim is not only raised by the opposition to the Islamic Republic but can also be heard from various groups and spectrums within the country.
But how compatible are these claims with reality? To answer this question, we examine the Islamic Republic of Iran's official narrative on its history and scrutinize the educational system, which is considered one of the important institutions in shaping identity and propagating the dominant ideology.
Among the long-term elements of cultural formation, undoubtedly, the most important option is the educational system, through which cultural elements are transmitted from one generation to another. At all levels of education in Iran, the country's history and geography, its military and political past, social sensitivities, and depictions of enemies or, in other words, potential threats to the country are systematically taught. In this way, individuals in society develop perceptions or depictions of "self" and "other." Therefore, history textbooks play a crucial role in constructing collective identity or, in other words, national identity. Since these textbooks do not merely present historical events, one can observe explicit and implicit narratives woven into the lines, aiming to shape the modern Iranian citizen.In Iran, history education begins at the fourth grade of elementary school. This education continues for all orientations through the secondary level up to the eleventh grade, and for the humanities orientation up to the twelfth grade. Since the official narrative associates the beginning of Iranian history with the arrival of Aryans, the first step in historical awareness is devoted to the arrival of the first group of these tribes, namely the Medes. The history lesson at the fourth grade of elementary school begins with a journey to Hamadan and continues with two trips to Persepolis and one trip to Kermanshah.
At the beginning of the educational journey, the name Iran is linked to "the land of Aryans, meaning noble and honorable" (Social Studies, fourth grade of elementary school, p. 47). The lesson related to the trip to Persepolis starts with a visit to Pasargadae as the tomb of Cyrus and emphasizes his benevolent leadership: "Cyrus was a man from the Persian tribe... He established the powerful Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus was a wise and intelligent king. He treated the people of the lands he conquered with respect and kindness" (ibid, p. 51). Elsewhere, regarding the construction of Persepolis, it is stated: "Hundreds of people from different tribes and nationalities living in the Achaemenid Empire participated in its construction. They were paid for this work. However, the main architecture of Persepolis was done by the Persian tribes" (ibid, p. 52).
In these sentences, emphasis is placed on Persian architecture, giving credit to other tribes living in the Achaemenid Empire for their labor, and mentioning payment for work to avoid the label of "slavery," indicating that the Persians are free from such bitter human experiences. Although the downfall of the established governments in Iran is attributed to the incompetence of the kings, there is no contempt for Iranian kings in the pre-Islamic era, and this contempt is mostly directed towards kings after Islam, particularly towards the Turks. The whole narrative revolves around the dignity and nobility of the Persians, as Iranians resisted invaders to defend their lands. Aryo Barzan is mentioned as one of the Iranian heroes who "fought with the enemy's army to the last breath and was eventually killed" (ibid, p. 57).
As we read in the text, the Seleucids, after conquering the territories under the rule of the Achaemenids, sought to promote "Greek customs, manners, writing, and language" in Iran. Interestingly, we read phrases like "how bad" from the perspective of a child character who is told by an elder companion for comfort: "Of course, later the Parthians expelled the foreigners from Iran" (ibid, p. 57). After the Parthians, the Sassanians are also described with sympathetic phrases, as they are considered Aryans. In this regard, their successive victories over the Romans are mentioned, and this time "Surena" is introduced as an Iranian hero (ibid, p. 58). With the onset of the Sassanian period, not only does Islamic ideology not dominate over nationalism, but also Arabs are ridiculed with titles such as "Bedouin tribes," "lack of knowledge of governance," and therefore "selection of Iranian ministers" (Social Studies, fifth grade of elementary school, 1397: p. 98). Even to strengthen Shiite identity, Iranians are strongly portrayed as resistant to injustice and oppression, and the superiority of the "Arab race" during the Umayyad period is considered the main reason for Iranians' support for the Abbasids. The formation of Iranian governments is attributed to the revival of culture and art, without mentioning the influence of the Arabic language, and the flourishing of Persian poetry is achieved with the separation from Arab rule. (ibid, p. 100).
With the conversion of Turks to Islam and their migration to Islamic lands, another wave of othering and alienation begins. Turks, like Arabs, are depicted as Bedouins, and it is mentioned that "rulers of Turkic origin, who were from nomadic tribes, had little knowledge of governance. They knew that to govern the vast land of Iran and its populous people, they had to use individuals familiar with governance. For this reason, they chose intelligent and wise Iranian ministers" (ibid, p. 103). The flourishing of knowledge, art, and architecture is attributed to the Persian language. The Mongols, like others, were also said to be unfamiliar with governance, and "Iranian ministers tried to guide and instruct the Mongols and teach them the methods and customs of governance" (ibid, p. 109). And during the periods of the successors of Genghis Khan, Hulagu, and Timur, "the people of Iran gradually turned ruins into settlements and expanded urbanization" (ibid, p. 110) and, influenced by Iranian culture, shifted their focus from martial valor to culture, art, and architecture.
As we can see, contrary to the claims of opponents, the official narrative of the Islamic Republic is not only about marginalizing ancient Iran and Persian identity but the main axis of this narrative is "Iranianism" with an emphasis on the Persian language and "Shiism" with an emphasis on justice, which also attributes it to the Iranian temperament. In other words, it can be said that the Islamic Republic does not consider ancient history as the sole source of societal identity, unlike nationalists.
However, nationalists regard only ancient history as the source of identity, and the confrontation that arises may stem from this perspective on ancient history. But why doesn't the Islamic Republic allow gatherings of some people in historical places and hold ceremonies to glorify newly emerged heroes? This must be seen in the nature of this regime and its securitization of any gathering or assembly outside government control.
It seems that the weakness of the rulers of the Islamic Republic in imposing their religious ideological governance has provided a good opportunity for opponents to attract the support of dissatisfied people with the current situation and, in opposition to the government, to evoke historical figures or those opposed to Islamic governments in the country's history. Among these, the Cyrus Day gathering can be compared to the Babak Castle gathering, which in the 1980s brought thousands of people together without the technological facilities available today and, although it did not have much media coverage, was somewhat eliminated and controlled through severe opposition and suppression, as well as simultaneous military and Basij maneuvers.
In fact, the Islamic Republic suppresses any different interpretation of historical personalities and events to ensure that the official narrative of Iranian history remains intact.
*In this text, reference has been made to elementary school textbooks, but it should be noted that the basis and titles of historiography are the same in middle and high school, and the phrases used in this text are repeated in subsequent periods as well.
Link to the original text: https://www.bbc.com/persian/blog-viewpoints-50366587