STATE IN MODERN AND POSTMODERN POLITICAL DISCOURSES; A COMPARATIVE STUDY

In recent few decades، however، as a result of theoretical and practical changes، politico-geographical studies have tended to apply post-positivist methods and approaches. Discourse analysis is amongst the most recent post-positivist approaches. According to this method، social phenomena do not reflect same reality in time and place. But they acquire different interpretations in different discourses. Thus، considering modern and postmodern as different political discourses، this research tries to do a comparative study of state and its elements including territory، population، government، and sovereignty، in each of these discourses. Findings of this research show that، the state has a discursive nature. State is not unchanging، but is interpreted in different ways in different discourses. Thus، as a result of theoretical and practical changes in postmodern political discourse، the state has experienced many changes both in its totality and its elements، comparing to modern political discourse.