Post-Constitutional Revolution Modernist Nationalism and the Problem of Decadence and Backwardness from the Viewpoint of Seyyed Hassan Taqizadeh

Document Type : Original Article

Author

PhD graduate in Post-Islamic History, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract
The analysis of Iran's backwardness is the historical destiny of confronting Western modernity, which compelled Iranians toward a historical awareness of this issue. Concurrent with the search for the roots of backwardness, the question of decadence also became part of this inevitable confrontation. The experience of the Constitutional Revolution, its failure, and the World War are also parts of this ongoing confrontation, which manifested in nationalist endeavors; hence, one form of explaining Iran's decadent and backward condition appeared in the "modernist nationalism" of the post-Constitutional era. This approach, hoping to save Iran and also due to an inclination toward the West, turned to nationalism and modernity, with Seyyed Hassan Taqizadeh being the prominent figure of this approach. Using an analytical-descriptive approach, the present article seeks to answer the question: what was Taqizadeh’s analysis of Iran's decadent and backward condition? He posits this problem in relation to foreign races, the precedence of the Indian worldview, public illiteracy, the confinement and baseness of women, moral corruption, and religious beliefs mixed with bigotry. Therefore, he not only emphasized the rational and scientific principles of Western civilization but also considered his strategy to be advocating for Iranian civilization and restoring its greatness.

Keywords


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Volume 17, Issue 63 - Serial Number 63
Spring 2025
Spring 2025
Pages 175-217

  • Receive Date 28 February 2025
  • Revise Date 10 September 2025
  • Accept Date 16 September 2025
  • Publish Date 22 May 2025