Geschichtspolitik in Iran

Overview & Synopsis

This volume uses historiographical and literary texts from the Pahlawī era (1921-1979) to examine discourses on heroised actors. Based on the observation that Iranian mythology prefigures historians' assumptions about history, the study traces the changing approaches of state-affiliated historians to their source material over the decades. An interplay can be observed between prefigurations and the changing requirements of the Pahlawī regime, which installed history as a supporting pillar of its identity and legitimisation policy. The diachronic approach allows fundamental observations on the construction of collective identities and the relationship between politics and history.