Iranian Identity in the Struggle of Internal Conflicts in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh
Subject Areas : پژوهش سیاست نظریشجاع احمدوند 1 * , mohamad abdolkhani 2
1 - Professor, Department of Political Science, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Ph.D Student in Political Science (Political Thought), Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran.
Keywords: political thought, Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, self–self confrontation, Iranian identity, prevailing norm.,
Abstract :
Iranian Identity in the Struggle of Internal
Conflicts in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh
Shoja Ahmadvand*
Mohammad Abdolkhani **
This study demonstrates that the issue of national identity for Ferdowsi is conceptualized within the framework of a “self–self” confrontation, and he examines the problem of “Iranian–Iranian conflicts.” The central research question asks how Ferdowsi redefines Iranian identity not in the encounter with the foreign, but within the context of internal conflicts. The study hypothesizes that Ferdowsi, by critiquing the political and social conditions of his time, regards internal conflicts as the primary factor undermining Iranian identity. Accordingly, and drawing on Quentin Skinner’s intentionalist methodology, the study employs thematic analysis of selected narratives from the Shahnameh to develop an understanding of Iranian identity based on intra-Iranian confrontation. This research is innovative in two respects: first, it examines national identity from the perspective of “self–self” confrontation; second, it demonstrates how addressing this issue and its potential resolutions contributes to the reconstruction of contemporary Iranian identity.
Keywords: political thought, Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, self–self confrontation, Iranian identity, prevailing norm.
Introduction
Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, as one of the most foundational texts of Iranian identity, has consistently been a focal point for scholars of Iranian culture and political thought. In most existing studies, Iranian identity in the Shahnameh has primarily been examined through the lens of the “self–other” dichotomy, while the role of internal conflicts has received comparatively little attention. This research gap has limited our understanding of the complexities surrounding Iranian identity. The main objective of this study is to revisit the concept of Iranian identity in the Shahnameh, focusing on internal confrontations and analyzing their role in weakening national identity. The principal research question is: How does Ferdowsi, through the narratives of the Shahnameh, raise the issue of Iranian identity not merely in relation to foreign others (self–other), but within the context of internal conflicts (self–self)?
The study hypothesizes that Ferdowsi, by critiquing the political and social realities of his time, identifies internal conflicts as the principal factor undermining Iranian identity. Accordingly, the aim of this research is to offer a novel reading of the Shahnameh, in which intra-Iranian struggles emerge as a key element in the fragility and vulnerability of national identity.
Literature Review
A review of previous studies on “Iranian identity” in general, and the conceptualization of the “self” in the Shahnameh specifically, indicates that conventional readings have largely centered on a few primary approaches, which this study critiques:
2.1. Epic readings based on self–other cultural confrontation, emphasizing mythological and antiquarian elements, such as the works of Zabihollah Safa (1954; 1976) and Theodor Nöldeke (1990), influenced by the Pahlavi discourse and its legitimizing policies.
2.2. Leftist readings, particularly Farajollah Mizani-Javanshir (1980), which, through a Marxist lens, critique the monarchy-centered ideology in the Shahnameh and interpret internal conflicts in terms of social and political contradictions.
2.3. Realist readings, which examine “confrontation” as an intrinsic reality of political life in the Shahnameh, attempting to analyze political order and stability in Ferdowsi’s thought; for example, Baqer Parham (1994) interprets the Shahnameh as a book of Iranian politics.
Despite these major approaches, studies of Iranian identity have predominantly focused on the concept of the “self” in relation to the “other.” Analysis of key works—including Mohammad Ali Eslami Nadooshan’s Life and Death of Heroes in the Shahnameh (1969), Shahrokh Maskub’s The Mourning of Siavash (1972), Kurt Heinrich Hansen’s The Shahnameh: Structure and Form (1995), Mohammad Amin Riyahi’s Ferdowsi: His Life, Thought, and Poetry (1996), Morteza Thaqibfar’s Ferdowsi and the Philosophy of Iranian History (1998), Riyahi’s The Origins of Ferdowsi Studies (2003), Maskub’s Armaghan-e Mor: An Inquiry into the Shahnameh (2005), Abolfazl Khatibi’s Iranian Identity in the Shahnameh (2006), and Fereshteh Saber Latibari & Negar Davari Ardakani’s Self and Other in the Written Heritage of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh (2020)—reveals that prior research has concentrated predominantly on confrontation with external others, paying limited attention to internal conflicts from Ferdowsi’s critical perspective. Hence, this study is innovative in that it first examines Iranian identity through the lens of internal confrontations and second, demonstrates how understanding these confrontations contributes to the reconstruction of contemporary Iranian identity. As such, it serves as a critical approach to political action in the Iranian tradition, offering pathways for future research.
Methodology
This study is grounded in the premise that political thought is shaped by its cognitive context; thus, examining Ferdowsi’s political thought requires situating it in relation to his temporal context, or, in other words, the prevailing norms of his era. Drawing on Quentin Skinner’s intentionalist theoretical framework and employing thematic analysis, this research examines selected narratives from the Shahnameh to reconstruct the historical context and prevailing norms of Ferdowsi’s time, elucidate his critical approach, and analyze the dimensions and consequences of internal conflicts for Iranian identity. In other words, the study moves beyond purely text-centered or context-centered analyses to interpret the themes of the Shahnameh narratives and uncover Ferdowsi’s ultimate intentions.
Findings
The findings indicate that Ferdowsi presents the issue of Iranian identity in the Shahnameh, behind diverse narratives of confrontation and persistent struggles, through the lens of internal conflicts—what can be termed a “self–self” confrontation. These internal conflicts are depicted as epic and tragic battles among Iranian heroes. The thematic analysis of selected narratives shows that internal conflicts stemming from ignorance, revenge, betrayal, deceit, violence, filicide, murder, and factional divergence among Iranian groups create profound social, cultural, and identity struggles, the destructive consequences of which are reflected in the cohesion and continuity of national identity. These confrontations represent chronic tensions in Iranian society, arising from ethnic, religious, and political rivalries, and portray the chaotic condition and fragmentation of national identity (Espuler, 1998: 57–77).
Another finding, employing Skinnerian intentionalist hermeneutics to examine the influence of cognitive context on Ferdowsi’s political thought, reveals that while the prevailing norm of his time attributed the decline of Iranian identity to external threats and foreign cultural influence, Ferdowsi presented the problem of Iranian identity within the framework of internal disruption caused by inter-ethnic and inter-dynastic struggles. Thus, contrary to the dominant view that collapse resulted from self–other confrontation, Ferdowsi frames the weakening of Iranian identity through self–self confrontation.
Discussion and Implications The study demonstrates that Ferdowsi, through the epic and mythological narrative structure of the Shahnameh, examines the harms inflicted upon national identity by ethnic, class, religious, and political conflicts—collectively understood as internal confrontations. The thematic analysis reveals how generational struggles, elite rivalries, and violent ethnic and political conflicts can ignite fissures and fragmentation within national identity.
In addition to its historical dimension, the research emphasizes the role of prevailing norms and political-cultural interventions during Ferdowsi’s time. During the Ghaznavid reign, characterized by ethnic, religious, and cultural policies, Iranian identity structures faced serious challenges. Patronage of eulogistic poets, the reproduction of self–other dualities, and the promotion of divisive ethnic and religious identities were elements of governance (Khalatbari & Naseri Rad, 2003: 78). In this complex context, Ferdowsi composed the Shahnameh to critique the prevailing situation.
Conclusion
By introducing the concept of internal confrontation in the Shahnameh, this study shows that Ferdowsi, responding to the problem of Iranian identity decline, identifies intra-Iranian struggles and rivalries as the primary threat to national identity. Drawing on epic storytelling and myth-making, and rooted in Iran’s civilizational and cultural heritage, Ferdowsi seeks to address the issue of Iranian identity through a critical reinterpretation of historical and epic narratives. Accordingly, the Shahnameh emerges not merely as a literary or epic work but as a critical project highlighting the role of internal conflicts in weakening and fragmenting a unified national identity.
The study also proposes several strategies for strengthening and preserving contemporary Iranian national identity:
2.4. Scientific and rational identification of the historical and cultural roots of internal conflicts as potential identity vulnerabilities.
2.5. Achieving balanced, comprehensive, and impartial interpretations of Iranian history and culture.
2.6. Evaluating the positive and negative elements of “cultural others” fairly and drawing on their constructive aspects.
2.7. Expanding intergenerational, cultural, and religious dialogue to foster internal cohesion and national solidarity.
Ultimately, the preservation and enhancement of a unified Iranian identity depend on fostering a climate of interaction, tolerance, and acceptance of internal diversity, which ensures social and political cohesion.
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* Corresponding Author: Professor, Department of Political Science, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran.
ahmadvand@atu.ac.ir
** Ph.D Student in Political Science (Political Thought), Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran.
mohamadabdolkhani@gmail.com
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