Verses and Lies: A Discourse Analysis of Ayatollah Khomeini’s Speeches During the Islamic Revolution

• In Event: 20861 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: Contested Narratives and Discursive Battles

Abstract

This research is a deep dive into how Ayatollah Khomeini’s collective action frames ignited antagonism against the Shah and created a collective identity among the Shah’s opponents. I began this research by reviewing the literature on Framing Theory, The Pahlavi Monarchs and Foreigners’ Interventions, The White Revolution and Its Consequences, and Khomeinism. To answer research questions, I collected thirty of Ayatollah Khomeini’s speeches, declarations, and messages from Sahifeh-ye Imam that were given from 1962 to 1980 —the beginning of his political activism against the Shah until one year after the Islamic Revolution. Then, I utilized Tracy’s (2013) Iterative Data Analysis and ATLAS.ti to code, analyze, and illustrate the data and findings.
The findings of my study suggest Khomeini’s strategic use of diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational frames addressed issues such as anti-imperialism, the White Revolution, gender, and religious establishment. His frame alignment strategies, such as bridging “imperialism” to the “Anti-Islam policies of Pahlavi.” and amplifying Islamic and nationalist sentiments, successfully antagonized the Shah and shaped a collective identity among the Shah’s oppositions— the newly urbanized rural migrants, the newly emerged middle class, major landholders: Shia clergies and aristocrats, bazaar/merchants, the Tudeh party/Leftists, and the conservative public.
My study offers two novel insights: first, and at the national level, Khomeini’s collective action frames and frame alignment strategies can serve as a model for Iranian social movement organizers who pursue fundamental social and political changes in the country. Second, and at the international level, since Khomeinism is coded into the Islamic Republic’s Constitution and served as a master frame for other Shia Militia groups in the region, such as Houthis and Hezbollah, studying it offers valuable information for policymakers and politicians seeking negotiations with the Islamic Republic, Houthis, and Hezbollah.

Author

• Zahra Mansoursharifloo, University of Kansas