Shia Discourse and Construction of National Identity in Safavid Iran

In the Ninth century, Sufi movement emerged in Iran as a powerful political force and established a new government named the Safavid monarchs. In this stage, the Sufis used politicized Shiite as the top discourse evidence of nationalism. The intersection of religion and nationality in Safavi discourse caused Religious unity become the basis for political unity after about 900 yeears – after Sasanians- and national identity emerged in Iran. In these situations, Shia Safavid discourse was formed as a factor to strengthen national identity. This discourse spread its hegemony called “the super powerful king” against the Ottoman Caliphate and other foreign competitors through otherization, highlighting, layout and marginalization. The present study aims at reviewing the role of safavid Shiism in national identity using theoretical framework and analytical instruments adopted from of Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse analysis.