This exploratory research deals with identity discourses in Iran in relation to the Islamic Republic's foreign policy. The four identity discourses - Iranism, Islam, anti-hegemony and...Show moreThis exploratory research deals with identity discourses in Iran in relation to the Islamic Republic's foreign policy. The four identity discourses - Iranism, Islam, anti-hegemony and hyperindependence are examined based on contemporary studies on this topic.Show less
The Iranian Revolution of 1979 had a profound effect on the Middle East and the rest of the world. The major world powers at the time, the US and the Soviet Union, followed the revolution closely....Show moreThe Iranian Revolution of 1979 had a profound effect on the Middle East and the rest of the world. The major world powers at the time, the US and the Soviet Union, followed the revolution closely. Past research has examined both powers' responses to the revolution and the outcomes of these responses. However, this research was very much a product of its time, and was therefore coloured by Cold War interests and ideologies. This thesis uses discourse analysis of the Soviet Union's two largest newspapers, Pravda and Izvestia, to map the USSR's response to this new development in the Middle East, and contextualises this response within the framework of Soviet state ideology.Show less
This research puts a focus on the presentation of the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran in contemporary schoolbooks used on primary schools in Iran in 2016. As a conclusion, I argue that the...Show moreThis research puts a focus on the presentation of the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran in contemporary schoolbooks used on primary schools in Iran in 2016. As a conclusion, I argue that the current Iranian regime legitimizes its power through a certain presentation of the modern history of Iran after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Notions of nationalism and Islam are important and point to a certain framing of descriptions around events such as the Iranian Revolution, the Iran-Iraq War and Iran's relations with the 'West'. Education therefore seems to be used as a powerful tool by the current government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.Show less
