Pervasiveness of ‘Nationalism’

Nationalism is the determining ideology of modern Iran. Yet despite, or perhaps because of its pervasiveness in popular and political culture, and the ease with which it is evoked and resorted to by successive governments to secure political support and cement legitimacy, it remains ill-defined and vigorously contested. The emotional depth professed by its staunchest adherents betrays an analytical immaturity which some observers consider disingenuous. Yet whether the product of cynical manipulation, or a consequence of sincere adherence, there can be little doubt that ‘nationalism’ in all its manifestations has been the ideological reference point to which all competing ideologies have ultimately had to adhere, and within which most have been subsumed. Nothing exemplifies this process better than the ideological transformation of an Islamic Revolution which aspired to universality but within a decade had defined itself as an Iranian Islamic Revolution to distinguish itself from other movements emerging around the world, and to emphasise a pre-eminence and exclusivity most commonly associated with nationalist ideologies. It soon became apparent that the adjective ‘Iranian’ was not intended as a geographic distinction, but implied barely disguised allusions to superiority on the basis not only of apparent priority but cultural sophistication.

This tendency towards elitism and a jealous guarding of a distinctive and particular culture would be familiar to theorists of nationalism, but it also reflects an internal process in the development of nationalism. Nationalism in Iran can be viewed through two complementary processes. On one level, nationalism as an ideology and a means for securing legitimacy is contested by various factions and ideological groupings who seek to appropriate it to their own particular ends.