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

“Mosaavaat” and the Reflection of the Constitutional Discourse

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Tahereh Ataei

Master's degree graduate, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/chs.2025.548700.1131
Abstract
This study adopts a cultural-historical approach and employs the method of cultural discourse analysis to examine Mosaavaat newspaper, edited by Mohammad Reza Mosaavaat (1264–1304 AH), as one of the most radical publications of the Constitutional Era. The primary research question addressed in the present study is how this newspaper contributed to shaping and reflecting the cultural and political discourse of the Constitutional Movement. The study aims to analyze such key concepts as freedom, justice, nation, and national independence within Mosaavaat’s discourse, and to investigate the linguistic and cultural strategies used to represent them. Mosaavaat was published in 31 issues between 1286 and 1288 SH, with 25 issues in Tehran and a final six in Tabriz. The findings indicate that while defending the principles of the Constitution, Mosaavaat employed a bold and popular language in criticizing despotism, opposing clerics, and foreign influence, and contributed to the semantic reconstruction of modern concepts in Iranian society by emphasizing the connection between the nation and the state. By addressing issues such as women’s education, the status of minorities, social ethics, and national independence, this newspaper became a cornerstone in the formation of Constitutional culture. Therefore, Mosaavaat functioned not merely as a political medium but as a cultural text reflecting Iran’s identity and discursive transformations on the threshold of modernity.

Keywords

Constitutional Revolution
Mosaavaat newspaper
cultural discourse analysis
Iranian Press
national independence
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Newspapers
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Rooznāmeh-e Mosavāt. 1287, Year 1, No. 21.
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Muṭāli̒āt-i tārīkh-i farhangī(Cultural History Studies)
Volume 17, Issue 64 - Serial Number 64
summer 2025
Autumn 2025
Pages 61-100

  • Receive Date 22 September 2025
  • Revise Date 06 November 2025
  • Accept Date 19 November 2025
  • Publish Date 23 August 2025

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