Khatami’s Islamist-Iranian discourse of national identity: A discourse of resistance

Shabnam Holliday*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Using a discourse approach, the article demonstrates that Khatami’s construction of Iranian national identity is a discourse of stance on the international and regional levels. This resistance is evident in the meanings attached to three sets of values: Iranian-Islamic culture, ‘dialogue among civilisations’ and Islamic mardumsaları, which are referred to as the three pillars of the Islamist-Iranian discourse of national identity. In terms of Iranian-Islamic culture, it is evident that Islam is Iranianised and furthermore the framework for the political apparatus is not simply politicised Islam, but rather Iranian political Islam. In terms of ‘dialogue among civilisations’, the resistance is not only to perceived Western hegemony in the international system, but also resistance to the dominance of the West and Western perspectives in the discipline of International Relations. Finally, Khatami establishes Islamic mardumsaları as the most appropriate and authentic means of maintaining Iran as an independent nation.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-13
Number of pages0
JournalBritish Journal of Middle Eastern Studies
Volume37
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Apr 2010

Keywords

  • nationalism
  • identity
  • Khatami
  • Iran
  • Islamism
  • nation
  • discourse

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