De-Westernization of Iranian Universities: Islamization, Indigenization, and Internationalization of Higher Education in the Islamic Republic of Iran

• In Event: Issues of identity, internationalization and leadership in higher education in Iran and Arab states

Proposal

Higher education in Iran has witnessed a major upheaval since the 1979 revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic. Islamization, indigenization, and internationalization of higher education have aimed at de-Westernizing Iranian universities and defining a new identity for them. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the interplay of Islamization, indigenization, and internationalization has affected higher education in Iran. A qualitative research methodology has been used, including a) in-depth, open-ended interviews with higher education authorities and faculty members at select universities; b) content analysis of official documents; and c) critical analysis of relevant course syllabi. The aim is to show how the three trends co-exist in a country that has more than four million university students. The findings point to the determining role of the three pillars in shaping the content and direction of higher education in post-revolutionary Iran. Islamization has aimed at educating pious, politicized, and loyal students who would abide by the rulings of the religio-political leaders. The goal has been replacing Western teachings, such as humanism secularism, by Islamic doctrines formulated at the Shi’i theological centers. The attempt to indigenize higher education curriculum is a response to the leading authorities’ concern about the influence of Western knowledge among university students. Westernization of the content of education is regarded as cultural infiltration and the threat to the national and religious identity of young Iranians. Indigenization of higher education has aimed at transforming the curricular content of the humanities and social sciences, especially in such fields as education, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. At the same time, however, Iranian universities are aiming at raising their status in the international arena and becoming exemplary institutions of higher education in the region. The result has been increasing cultural and scientific exchanges, invitation of foreign faculty and students, as well as signing memoranda of understanding with universities across the globe. The coexistence of Islamization, indigenization, and internationalization raises a question regarding the possibility of proceeding in seemingly contradictory directions. The apparent paradox may be resolved once one understands the Islamic Republic’s interpretation of internationalization: “the goal of an international university is the introduction of the Iranian-Islamic culture and the promotion of the Persian language.”

Authors

• Golnar Mehran, Alzahra University

• Fariba Adli, Alzahra University