Representation of Modernity in the Works of Iranian Intellectuals from the Qajar to the Pahlavi Era

Abstract

This study investigates how modernity has been represented in the works of Iranian intellectuals from the Qajar period to the Pahlavi era. Using the method of critical discourse analysis and relying on the examination of textual products—including books, speeches, and newspapers—it seeks to uncover the various discursive logics employed by Iranian intellectuals to understand, critique, or reconstruct modernity. The analysis demonstrates that modernity in Iran has not been perceived as a singular or consensual concept; rather, it has been understood as a polyphonic, multilayered, and diverse phenomenon. Each intellectual, depending on their historical context, social conditions, epistemic resources, and identity-related concerns, has offered a distinct formulation of modernity. The findings indicate that Iranian intellectuals have shaped a wide spectrum of engagements with modernity—ranging from active acceptance to radical critique, and from localization to identity-based reinterpretation. Ultimately, these approaches offer a new perspective on the formation of the discourse of modernity in the history of Iranian thought and show that the experience of modernity in Iran has not been merely imitative, but instead the product of epistemic and identity-based negotiation between tradition, indigenous history, and global narratives of modernity.