抄録
This study explores the role of “invented traditions” in shaping Iranian nationalism during the Pahlavi period and the post-Islamic revolution era. Drawing on the perspective of historian Eric Hobsbawm, this study investigates how new traditions were strategically created to maintain political power. In the Pahlavi era, nationalist rhetoric grounded in the history of pre-Islamic Iran was employed to establish a sense of continuity for the Pahlavi Dynasty, positioning it as successors to the 2500-year-old kingdom. Shiraz, with its rich cultural heritage and proximity to the ancient city of Persepolis, was presented as a symbolic center representing centuries of history and the fusion of Eastern and Western civilizations. However, following the Islamic Revolution, the dominant nationalist discourse shifted toward the Shia framework. Events such as the 2003 U.S. occupation of Iraq and the increase in the power of the Shia majority in the Iraqi government further exacerbated this shift, which led to the revival of long-forgotten Shia customs in Karbala, the site of the third Imam of Shia martyrdom. This study delves into the unique attributes of each era and analyzes them through the dual lenses of socio-political and socioeconomic dynamics. It seeks to elucidate why the Pahlavi Dynasty, compared with the Islamic Republic, was less effective in advancing its nationalistic agenda and leveraging the shaping of national identity to its advantage.
