A Critical Analysis of Kolkata's Habl al-Matin Newspaper Strategy in 1895-1910 about Progress and Modern Sciences

Due to the military and economic threats of modern civilization, the Qajar rulers were forced, at some stages, to adapt new sciences and techniques to modify and refurbish parts of their state administration. In addition, due to the acquaintance of Iranians with new changes and modern thoughts of this period, critical thoughts and progressive discourses were formed in society. Printed in Kolkata during the ending decades of Qajar era, Habl al-Matin was one of the most important newspapers which used to emphasize the adaptation of modern sciences in its progressive discourse. Based on a descriptive-analytical method and through a paradigm of critical theory, it has been tried, in present study, to criticize the approach of this newspaper to progress and modern sciences to find answers to these fundamental questions of what were the shortcomings and problems of Habl al-Matin to explore the relation between progress and modern sciences and what was its "of-modern-sciences- derived" solution to get development? Findings show that Habl al-Matin did not have a comprehensive understanding of new civilization and the ways it developed on the basis of dialectical relation of political, economic, social and cultural changes and processes, and it tried, through a positivist approach, to explain the advancement of Europe and all other societies using modern sciences, and it propagated the adoption of these sciences as a strategy for the Iran's progress, regardless of the necessity of making changes and creating capacity for bringing the country's different structures together and forming appropriate processes.