Components of National and Religious Identity in Resistance Literature Lessons of Upper Secondary School Persian Literature Textbooks

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Visiting Professor at Farhangian University

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature Education, Farhangian University, Tehran

Abstract

Objective: One of the most significant instrumental indicators within the educational system of Iran is the manifestation of national identity in students’ Persian language textbooks. Since the Persian language has long served as the principal institution of unity and solidarity for the Iranian nation, this identity has been cultivated and reflected across the various domains of the rich Persian literary tradition. The primary objective of this study was to examine and analyze the representation of national identity in the Persian literature textbooks of upper secondary education, with particular emphasis on resistance literature.
Methods: The study adopted a descriptive-analytical approach to explain and interpret the components of national identity embedded in the resistance literature lessons of upper secondary Persian language and literature textbooks.
Results: The findings indicated that, among the various dimensions of Iranian national identity, the upper secondary Persian language and literature textbooks place particular emphasis on the components of religion, homeland and political geography, and Iranian history and culture. It is through reliance on these cultural foundations that steadfastness in the face of oppression and injustice is portrayed. By embracing Islam, Iranians have not only preserved their historical identity but have also enriched Islamic culture and civilization through the assimilation of the sublime and life-affirming teachings of Islam and by drawing upon the ethical characteristics of both Iranian and Ashura-inspired culture. In doing so, they have reinforced their Iranian identity while simultaneously endowing their religious identity with renewed meaning, thereby institutionalizing such concepts as dignity, freedom, and martyrdom in the path of God within Iranian society and in upper secondary literature textbooks.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Resistance Literature
Volume 18, Issue 34
July 2026
Pages 1-17

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