Political Sociology
Seyedeh Leila Sadati; Shoja Ahmadvand
Abstract
The topic of Iranians' self-concept in relation to their government and nation has a profound connection to the study of identity, collective identity, and specifically national identity. All of these concepts are believed to shape an individual's perceptions and behavior. This specific topic, which ...
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The topic of Iranians' self-concept in relation to their government and nation has a profound connection to the study of identity, collective identity, and specifically national identity. All of these concepts are believed to shape an individual's perceptions and behavior. This specific topic, which encompasses more than just traditional expressions of nationalism, such as pride in shared ancestral, historical, and geographic ties, borders, language, culture, and other recognized components of national identity, serves as the focus of this research. The sense of belonging to a national identity is believed to have positive effects including enhancing social cohesion, ethical behavior, patriotism, hope, and trust. "Ibrahim Bey's Travelogue," a critically acclaimed work, is one of the most significant texts that captures the complexities of modern states and societies, particularly leading up to the Constitutional Revolution. It is a travelogue with intricate narrative elements that attempt to paint a detailed and insightful picture of the social and political circumstances of that era. At the same time, it also carefully compares Iranian and Western societies, highlighting the different ways in which they have evolved.The aim of this article is to analyze the most important themes in the Ibrahim Bey's Travelogue and their contribution to the formation of the utopian/dystopian image if Iranian self-concept. This research was conducted through a thematic analysis, involving the extraction of codes, categories, and themes from the first volume of the Ibrahim Bey's Travelogue, which is particularly significant from a political and social standpoint. For this purpose, a deductive approach was taken, based on the main issues which is Iranian Self-concept. Through this method that is a commonly used form of qualitative research often used in psychology and social sciences, a systematic and structured approach to analyzing and organizing data based on themes that emerge from the data is provided.After familiarizing with the data, which is the first step of thematic analysis, initial codes were generated from the main text. These initial codes then were divided into different categories based on the story line, the content of the book itself and the main issues of the research: Iranian Self-concept. In the third step, searching for themes was done after coding the data by finding patterns or themes that emerge from the data. These main themes were as below:Goals of change 2. Tools of change 3. Superior other 4. Inferior other 5. Character of the nationalist (Ibrahim Bey) 6. Depiction of the dystopia (the government and nation) 7. Depiction of the utopia (government and nation) 8. Past golden age of Iran 9. Factors leading to the existing unfortunate situation and 10. Definition of the law.The ultimate objective is to uncover a pattern of themes related to the Iranian state and nation that shape our current understanding of these concepts.The key finding emerges that the concept of "West" serves as the superior "other" in shaping the Iranian self-concept through the framework of cultural cringe and colonial mentality as a concept describing the feeling of inferiority and embarrassment that some individuals in colonized countries feel towards their own culture. According to this concept, individuals in these countries tend to perceive Western culture as superior and admire it, often at the expense of their own culture. This leads to a sense of self-hatred, which can negatively impact an individual's self-esteem and identity. Cultural cringe is often associated with colonial mentality, which describes the psychological effects of colonization on colonized peoples. Cultural cringe also has a significant role in the field of postcolonial studies. Postcolonial studies is an interdisciplinary field which examines the legacies of colonialism and the ways in which colonized societies have struggled to define and assert their own identities. Cultural cringe is just one of the many ways in which colonial power and domination can impact colonized societies. It is important to understand that cultural cringe is not a universal experience, and that it is specific to particular colonized nations and cultures. Despite the negative portrayal of the West, anything that is associated with the superior other is seen as admirable and desirable, while characteristics related to the insider culture are perceived as negative and inferior. As a result, the Iranian state and nation are solely understood through the lens of adapting from this superior other, leading to the dismissal and rejection of insider experiences.This article suggests that the roots of today's cultural cringe can be traced back to the colonial mentality framework as expressed through the texts of that period. In particular, a romanticized relationship with the West played a central role in shaping Iranian identity. Therefore, it is crucial to critically analyze the past and understand the role of colonial narratives in shaping our current perspectives. While we may have come a long way since those early years, we cannot ignore the ongoing effects of colonial mentality and cultural cringe, which still impact our understanding of Iranian society today. The only way to effectively dismantle these problematic discourses is to create an inclusive and open space that recognizes the diversity of perspectives and experiences, which will enable us to develop a more nuanced understanding of Iranian identity and societal issues.
