Shiitized Persian identity in Iranian textbooks

This study examines how Iranian primary and secondary school textbooks present the components of Shia and Iranian identity. This study analyzed 55 elementary and middle school textbooks used in the 2021-2022 academic year. Primary and secondary school textbooks were selected because they significantly impact students' formation of national and religious identities. The critical discourse analysis method was used to analyze the data obtained through the document analysis technique, one of the qualitative research methods. This research shows that Shiite-Persian ideology is the dominant discourse in the Islamic Republic of Iran textbooks. While religious, historical, ethnic and linguistic elements, which are the constituents of Shiite and Persian identity, are intensively covered in the textbooks, different linguistic, religious and ethnic elements outside this identity are given limited coverage. As a result, it has been observed that the acceptable national identity of the Islamic Republic of Iran is constructed around the "Shi'itezed Persian" identity in the textbooks. This identity is formed through a combination of Shi'ism, Persian language and culture, ancient Persian history, and anti-Western sentiment, with the United States and Israel as targets.