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Persian nationalism (Persian:ملیگرایی فارسی) is anethnonationalist ideology that defines thePersian people,language, andculture as the central foundations of political and national identity inIran. It emerged in the early 20th century in response to imperial decline and became institutionalized under thePahlavi dynasty.[1] Distinct fromIranian nationalism, which is typically articulated as a form ofcivic nationalism encompassingmultiple ethnic groups, Persian nationalism is rooted in ethnolinguistic criteria. As a result, scholars have argued that it may at times marginalize non-Persian identities by framing them as regional or secondary to Persian-centric identity. Persian nationalism was most strongly pronounced as a state ideology during the reign ofReza Shah Pahlavi.[2]
The ideology places strong emphasis on Iran's pre-Islamic antiquity, particularly theAchaemenid andSasanian empires, which are portrayed as a golden age of national civilization. Historical figures and symbols such asCyrus the Great andPersepolis are commonly invoked to establish continuity between ancient Persia and the modern Iranian state.[1]
UnderQajar rule,Persianization was implemented to a limited extent, with the1906 constitution establishing Persian as the sole official language of Iran and requiring all members of parliament to be proficient in the language. The following year, aconstitutional amendment implemented compulsory education in Persian.[3]
With the rise ofReza Shah Pahlavi in 1925, Persian nationalism became a central instrument of state power, framed by the motto of "one nation, one language, one country." Modern Iranian national identity was closely tied to the Persian language, which was promoted as the primary marker of unity. State policies and practices reflected systematic repression of non-Persian peoples, includingKurds,Arabs,Lurs,Qashqai, andBakhtiari.[1] Under Reza Shah's rule, theImperial state of Iran emphasized cultural and linguistic homogenization, promoting the Persian language as a symbol of national unity while restricting the public use of minority languages. State policies disproportionately benefited Persian-dominated regions, contributing to the political and economic marginalization of ethnic minorities.[2] Reza Shah's successor,Mohammea Reza Pahlavi, allowed limited use of minority languages within tightly regulated settings, while Persian remained dominant. As non-Persian languages were confined to private spheres without legal protection, the usual result was language loss. Persian elites continued marginalizing them as "regional dialects."[3]Zoroastrian symbols were often promoted by the state to connect Iran to its ancient pre-Islamic past.[4]
Nationalist thought expanded fromanti-Arab sentiment to broader hostility toward non-Persian identities. Persianism andShia Islam emerged as the ideological foundations of Iranian nationalism, shaping what scholars describe as a "Persian psycho-nationalist habitus." Thinkers such asJalal Al-e-Ahmad andTaqi Arani, who advanced racialized theories of language and nationhood, further institutionalized the idea of Persian as the unifying and authentic essence of the Iranian nation-state.[1]
Scholars such as Alex Shams argue that this period marked the institutionalization of a Persian-centric national identity that downplayed Iran's historical ethnic diversity. According to Shams, Reza Shah's regime drew onAryanist and pre-Islamic symbolism to frame Persian identity as the core of the nation, while overlooking the multiethnic foundations of earlier Iranian empires, which were historically unified through imperial governance rather than ethnic homogeneity.[5]
Following the1979 Iranian Revolution, the Islamic Republic shifted Iranian identity from the secular Persian nationalism of the Pahlavi era toShia Islamism. At the same time, elements of Persian-centric nationalism persisted within state discourse and governance, alongside efforts to promote a more uniformIranian nationalism reflective of all the diverse ethnicities in Iran.[6][2] In contrast to the Pahlavi monarchy's emphasis on ethnic and linguistic homogenization, the Islamic Republic's exclusionary practices have been more strongly articulated along sectarian and religious lines, particularly through discrimination againstSunni Muslims and non-Muslim communities.[4]
With the rise of discontent with the Islamic republic in the 2020s in the wake of sanctions andconflicts with Saudi Arabia and Israel, nationalists began to become morecritical of Islam’s role in Iranian society. Some were moderates, who wantedsecularization and theremoval of strict laws. Others wanted to reverse the clock some even back to the days before Islam reached Persia.[7]
