Muṭāli̒āt-i tārīkh-i farhangī(Cultural History Studies)

Thematic Analysis of Identity in the Play Mazar-e-Sharif, from a Cultural History Perspective

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Zahra Hayati 1
Ghandi Reyhaneh 2

1 Associate Professor, Department of Language and Literature, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran

2 Ph.D. Graduate, Department of Language and Literature, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/chs.2025.496580.1054
Abstract
Cultural history is an interdisciplinary discourse that proposes the cultural reading of artistic and literary texts to understand history. Based on this approach, literary texts can provide data on people's lived experiences and social transformations. The research question addressed in the present study is: How can a thematic analysis of dramatic texts represent the concept of "identity" within the framework of cultural history? The aim of this study is to examine the play Mazar-e-Sharif by Mohammad Aref, and explores the confrontation between "human beings" and "war" in Afghanistan from a cultural and humanistic perspective. The method used is thematic analysis (thematic criticism) using Braun and Clarke’s model. Data were extracted and coded from dialogues, actions, and narrative symbols. The findings indicate that the central theme of the play is the loss of identity in the context of war, betrayal, migration, and cultural alienation. These themes are embodied in characters such as Molla Mohammad and Shokouh. The research concludes that Mazar-e-Sharif can serve as a dramatic text in the cultural historiography of Afghanistan and Iran, and a comparison with works by other Afghan writers can lead to a more precise analysis of identity transformations

Keywords

cultural history
thematic analysis
MazarSharif
Mohammad Aref
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  • Receive Date 29 December 2024
  • Revise Date 09 May 2025
  • Accept Date 02 June 2025
  • Publish Date 19 February 2025

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