An Analysis of the Representation of Iranian Moral Behaviors in Ethnographic Writings: A Case Study of the Book "Sociology of Eliticide"

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Facaulty of Humanities, Yasouj University, yasouj, Iran

2 گروه علوم اجتماعی، دانشگاه یاسوج، یاسوج، ایران

3 Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Politics, Khorazmi University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/chs.2026.537263.1120
Abstract
One of the Iranian writing genres that has achieved remarkable popularity is ethnographic writing. Due to the strong ideological aspects of these texts, it seems necessary to assume a critical perspective towards them. Rezagholi’s "Sociology of Eliticide" is one of the best-selling books in this genre. Employing the critical discourse analysis method developed by Van Dijk, the present article intends to examine the representation of the Iranians’ morals in this book as a case study of ethnographic writing. Providing an analysis of the historical roots of despotism and backwardness in Iran, Rezagholi argues that the political, economic, and social collective life of Iranians was built up in a way that ultimately led to eliticide. Therefore, while the portrayal of individual figures such as Amir Kabir in Iranian history has been impactful, it has not practically resulted in any significant outcomes. The findings indicate that the author has only given thought to undesirable moral behaviors and has not acknowledged the praiseworthy moral behaviors of Iranians. On the other hand, by employing polarization, he compares Iran with the West and portrays Iranians negatively in relation to Westerners in all instances. Finally, the author resorts to the character traits of Iranians to explain Iran's underdevelopment, highlighting economic culture as the determinant of these traits. His reasoning leads to a circular argument, suggesting that Iran should never secure development if we accept this premise.

Keywords



Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 11 August 2026

  • Receive Date 26 July 2025
  • Revise Date 03 August 2026
  • Accept Date 08 August 2026
  • Publish Date 11 August 2026