Contemporary Iran

A researcher in the field of history pays attention to the science of the historiographies characteristics presented by different sects. The present study aimed to survey the most important features of Orientalist historiography in contemporary Iran. Based on the results, the components of colonial Orientalist historiography origins are as follows: the distortion and denial of Islam, the perversion and humiliation of independence movements such as the tobacco movement, the constitutional movement, de-identification of societies to dominate nations, and exploiting community historians to achieve their colonial goals. To this aim used descriptive and analytical method, based on the sources written by these historians.  

The reconstruction of religious thought is considered one of the essential components of the politico-religious discourse in contemporary Iran towards the revival of religious thought and making religion more efficient. This reconstruction has involved such goals as universality of religious thought towards playing a superior socio-political role, adapting it to the temporal requirements and benefitting from religious potentials towards resisting against domestic despotism and foreign domination. The historical background of this process and understanding its Islamist discourse involve the hard task of identification and evaluation in a world in which we not only witness the opposition of religious and antireligious thought, but we see that the religious thought itself has undergone extensive developments and interpretations. The wide range of this reconstruction among the Shiite scholars of Iran is a turning point in intellectual and practical developments in the history of contemporary Iran. Explaining this issue and its impact on the Shiite political discourse in contemporary Iran, this article seeks to elaborate on religious reconstruction from the perspective of Ayatuulah Murtaza Mutahhari.

The Islamic world, beside historical and ideological factors, impacting on the general process of the Islamic civilization and its stagnation, has been facing the more serious challenge of development of the Western civilization during the last two decades. Toward this challenge, Moslem thinkers actively tried to find a religious resolution to free the Islamic world from the dominance of the Western civilization and culture, and at the same time, to reconstruct religious thought. Certainly, this reconstruction opened the path to the borders of the resurgence of the Islamic civilization, and its most salient parade is seen in the Islamic Revolution of Iran as the most perfect example among the contemporary Islamic movements. In fact, it prevented Islam from being isolate in the world. In the present paper, it will be tried to study the process of reconstruction of religious though within two frameworks of “the relationship between politics and religion” and also “Messianism” in Iran, and its impact on the retrieval of the Islamic civilization.

This article examines the reception and interpretation of Shakespeare’s works in modern-day Iran, beginning with an overview of the Qajar Dynasty (1789–1925) and focusing on Post-Revolutionary Iran. The study aims to illuminate an often-overlooked aspect: a significant shift in attitudes toward Shakespeare’s plays between pre- and post-Revolutionary Iran, shaped by the dominant policies and ideologies of each era. Prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, adaptations of Shakespearean works such as Macbeth and Hamlet demonstrated discernible political orientations. In contrast, post-Revolution adaptations, including Tardid and Mortal Wound, adopted a more sophisticated moralistic perspective. This transformation extended not only to thematic content but also to the medium of adaptation. During the pre-Revolution period, Shakespeare’s plays were primarily translated into dramatic performances. However, the post-Revolutionary era saw a shift toward visual adaptations, including cinematic productions and home-video renditions. The contrast between these periods offers insights into Iran’s contemporary outlook, revealing the interplay between historical power structures and the reception of Shakespeare’s works. This study highlights the extent to which prevailing systems of authority shape the acceptance and adaptation of cultural expressions across distinct historical contexts.

Religious intellectualism is a term used to refer to a group of influential thinkers in contemporary Iran. Given the diversity and dispersion of their thoughts, as well as the way they combine local and regional elements with certain global aspects, it is essential to present a general and relatively comprehensive picture of this approach. However, the eclectic nature of these thinkers makes this task challenging. This article, written primarily with the aim of introducing religious intellectualism to a non-Iranian audience, first provides a definition, general characteristics, and prominent figures in this field (Abdolkarim Soroush, Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari, and Mostafa Malekian). It then outlines the most important issues they address and their specific approaches to those issues (such as capital punishment, human rights, abortion, and homosexuality). The challenges arising from the confrontation between these ideas and traditional ones are also briefly discussed.