Abstract:
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.
Machine summary:
The central question of the article is: "How does Ferdowsi, through the narratives of the Shahnameh, redefine Iranian identity not merely in confrontation with the stranger, but within the context of internal contradictions?" The research hypothesis is based on the idea that by criticizing the political and social structures of his era, Ferdowsi considers internal contradictions to be the most significant threat to the cohesion and stability of Iranian identity.
The theoretical integration of Quentin Skinner's methodological pattern with the thematic analysis of narrative in the Shahnameh is pursued with the aim of explaining how Ferdowsi, using the language of poetry and story, has attempted to convey his cultural and political messages; behind the epic stories and the dual critical design, itself, in the form of a cycle of internal oppositions of national characters, explains the issue of "Iranian identity" and thus plays an important role in presenting this issue.
Based on this, the continuation of the chaotic situation resulting from ethnic rivalries, changes in power structures, cultural fragmentation, and the social challenges of Ferdowsi's era not only had significant impacts on his thought and works but are also considered influential on the political history of Iran; in this regard, they paved the way for the cultural and social transformations in which the issue of Iranian identity is assumed.
(
, 
, 
)
