Social integrity identity disorder of Iranian intellectuals or Identit situation

• In Event: 30462 - Theory Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 7. Uncivil Times

Abstract

This study examines the evolving perspectives of Iranian intellectuals toward Western civilization, analyzing four key figures—Mirza Malkam Khan, Jalal Al-e Ahmad, Ali Shariati, and Abdolkarim Soroush. It argues that their social identity emerges from an essentialist and purist interpretation of Iranian identity, which dichotomizes its Islamic and Iranian pillars. Intellectuals often reject one pillar to redefine an "authentic" identity, advocating the purification of contemporary identity from perceived corruptions.
Introducing Social Integrity Identity Disorder (S.I.I.D)—a metaphor critiquing the fragmentation of modern identity to replicate an idealized past—the study highlights how this approach stifles dynamic identity evolution. The term Identit (removing "Y" from Identity) symbolizes an "unfinished" identity, stagnant due to its fixation on historical repetition.
Ultimately, the tension between essentialism and modernity reveals a paradox: while intellectuals critique "Westoxication" to reconcile Iran’s dual heritage with globalization, their exclusionary strategies hinder the development of a pluralistic, adaptive social identity.
Keywords: Social identity, Westoxication, essentialism, S.I.I.D, Identit, Iranian intellectuals.

Author

• Reza Rostami Khazaei, Islamic Azad University science and research branch, Tehran