April 2024 | BIPS Travel Grant

Decline of Iran in the Writings of Contemporary Iranian Intellectuals

Summary of topic:

I explore the concept of the decline of Persian civilization through the writings of six Iranian intellectuals: Ahmad Fardid, Jalal Al-e Ahmad, Ali Shariati, Abdolkarim Soroush, Javad Tabatabai, and Aramesh Doustdar. My argument is that in analysing Iran’s decline, these thinkers predominantly utilize a theoretical framework cantered around three key factors: the impact of external intervention, the influence of religion, and the state of intellectual life.

Report:

I am conducting an intellectual history study related to contemporary Iran, focusing on the concept of the decline of Persian civilization as portrayed in the works of contemporary Iranian intellectuals. My research centers on six key figures: Ahmad Fardid, Jalal Al-e Ahmad, Ali Shariati, Abdolkarim Soroush, Aramesh Doustdar, and Javad Tabatabai.

Without taking a personal stance on whether Iran has experienced a decline, I aim to explore how these intellectuals have conceptualised it, identifying the main reasons for decline as presented in their writings. This approach has allowed me to examine both the similarities and differences in their perspectives. In my PhD thesis, I argue that contemporary Iranian intellectuals have been influenced by a shared network of concepts and have developed along similar lines of thought, despite belonging to diverse political and ideological trends and schools. This observation sheds light on the nature and evolution of contemporary Iranian intellectual thought.

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Iqan Shahidighamsari is a PhD student at University of Cambridge.