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Narrative Silence of the Iranian Society: The Challenge of Collective Identity, Social Legitimacy, and Moral Action in the Middle of Traditionalism and Transformationism
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Hossein Eskandari1   , Mohammad Khanahmadi2 |
1- Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran , sknd40@gmail.com
2- Department of Clinical Psychology, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran |
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Abstract: (32 Views) |
Background: While narratives in human societies form the foundation of collective identity, social legitimacy, and ethical action, Iranian society has become trapped in a state of “narrative silence”. It is a condition that has muted major historical and social events and prevented them from being transformed into meaningful frameworks for collective life. This study examines one of the fundamental issues of contemporary Iranian society: the absence of a comprehensive narrative capable of linking the nation’s historical memory with its vision for the future.
Conclusion: Iran’s narrative silence has resulted in a suspension between past and future: collective memory has not been coherently reconstructed, and the nation’s future-oriented vision has not been convincingly shaped. This suspension has polarized the society’s ethical action between traditionalism and transformationism. On one hand, traditionalism attempts to fill the silence by clinging to historical and religious memories, yet it faces the risk of stagnation and mere reproduction of the past. On the other hand, transformationism seeks to construct a new future, but it often suffers from rootlessness and instability due to a rupture from collective memory and the absence of a shared narrative. The outcome of this tension is a crisis of dialogue, social distrust, and the proliferation of despair and passivity. Drawing on theoretical frameworks of narrative in philosophy and social sciences, this article demonstrates why none of the emerging narratives have evolved into a comprehensive national narrative. It then addresses the challenges, capacities, and possibilities for overcoming narrative silence. Ultimately, this research emphasizes that breaking narrative silence is possible only through the reconstruction of collective memory, the design of a national vision for the future, and the creation of an ethical dialogue between tradition and transformation.
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| Keywords: Narrative Silence, Collective Identity, Social Legitimacy, Traditionalism, Transformationism |
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Full-Text [PDF 685 kb]
(69 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Review Article |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/04/12 | Accepted: 2025/06/19 | Published: 2025/11/1
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