Collective Memory and Iranian Identity

The main purpose</span>of this paper is to present an analytical model of the process of constructing the meaning of national identity for Iranians. The leading assumption in this article is that collective memory forms the source of meaning for national identity, which creates the necessary coherence for continuity over time through the structure of collective narratives. Therefore, the social force that links an Iranian individual to the Iranian nation is the collective memory that shapes Iranian identity in the form of collective narratives. In order to construct a theoretical model of research, the combination of Halbwachs's theory of collective memory, Ricoeur's theory of narrative identity and Ashraf's theory of Iranian identity were used. Applying the model, in addition to understanding the social reality of the development of Iranian identity, a new interpretation of the latest empirical findings on the sense of national identity among Iranians was achieved. The results of this research showed that today in society, the meaning and common understanding of being Iranian, in other words, the Iranian identity, has a template of historical narrative. In this narration, symbols, myths and collective memories as the symbolic heritage of the identities of various ethnic groups are reconfigured in the Iranian modern national identity.