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

The Evolution of the Representation of History in Images: A Systematic Study of the Visual Content of Iranian History Textbooks in the Qajar and Pahlavi Periods (1315 AH-1320 AH)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Amir Karimi

History department, Law and Social Sciences department, Tabriz University, East Azarbaijan, Iran;

10.22034/chs.2026.567090.1149
Abstract
The present study aims to investigate the discursive mechanisms of power and knowledge in the images of Iranian history textbooks, and conducts a statistical and content analysis of 2008 images from 76 history textbooks from the Qajar and Reza Shah periods. The data were obtained through systematic and documented collection from reliable sources, including the Ayatollah Boroujerdi Digital Library and the Agha Bozorg database. The theoretical framework of the study is based on the integration of Foucault's thought on discourse and regimes of truth with Krippendorff's quantitative content analysis model with an interdisciplinary approach. The findings show that the image in textbooks was not a neutral representation of history, but a tool for producing and reproducing legitimate historical knowledge within the framework of the power order. In the Qajar period, representations focused more on the glory of the monarchy and the continuity of tradition, while in the Reza Shah period, the image served the discourse of the modern state, nationalism, and cultural discipline. By combining statistical and discursive analysis, this research offers a new perspective for understanding power relations, historical memory, and visual education in Iran.

Keywords

History textbooks
visual representation
power/knowledge
Qajar period
Reza Shah Pahlavi
quantitative content analysis
interdisciplinary
Muṭāli̒āt-i tārīkh-i farhangī(Cultural History Studies)

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 02 August 2026

  • Receive Date 18 December 2025
  • Revise Date 18 July 2026
  • Accept Date 02 August 2026
  • Publish Date 02 August 2026

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