Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Iran is a diverse nation. This diversity exists along multiple vectors of identity, including geography, religion, ethnicity, culture, and language. However, imperial powers have historically interpreted Iranian diversity as a pathway to internal implosion. Israel tried to exploit this diversity during the 12-Day War. The war proved, however, that Iranians continue to have a strong sense of community based in their national history. This historical consciousness fundamentally dismantled the ‘us’ versus ‘them’ binary that Israel and the US sought to exploit. This essay argues that ‘horizontal comradeship’ in the Iranian nation results from centuries of cultural and religious coexistence, reinforcing national consciousness and foreclosing political disintegration in Iran during and after the 12-Day War.
Source: Middle East Critique
Authors: Zahra Taheri, Elaheh Karimi Riabi
Institutions: University of Kashan, University of Tehran
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4415955926