State Nationalism and the Reproduction of Political Authority during the First Pahlavi Era: An Analysis within the Framework of the Authoritarian Modern State

Abstract

During the reign of Reza Shah Pahlavi (1925–1941), nationalism became one of the central components of the discourse of the modern state in Iran. This article focuses on state nationalism and examines its role in the reproduction of political authority and the weakening of constitutional institutions. The principal research problem concerns how, and through which mechanisms, state nationalism during Reza Shah’s rule contributed to the concentration of power and the strengthening of authoritarianism. The central question addressed is: What role did state nationalism play in legitimizing political authority and in eliminating or weakening independent institutions? The main hypothesis of the study posits that Reza Shah’s state nationalism, through redefining national identity around the central state and the person of the monarch, functioned as an instrument for legitimizing power centralization and restricting political and institutional pluralism. The objective of the research is to analyze the relationship between nationalist discourse and mechanisms of political authority within the process of state-building under Reza Shah. From a theoretical perspective, the article draws upon the state nationalism approach and theories of the authoritarian state, treating nationalism not merely as a cultural phenomenon but as an active element in the construction of political power. The independent variable of the study is state nationalism, while the dependent variable consists of the reproduction of political authority and the weakening of constitutional institutions. The research adopts a qualitative–historical methodology, and its data were collected and interpreted through documentary analysis, historical texts, and authoritative scholarly works. The findings indicate that state nationalism during Reza Shah’s rule, through emphasizing national unity, strengthening the authority of the central state, and highlighting the role of the monarch, created the institutional and discursive foundations necessary for establishing a modern authoritarian order. The innovation of this article lies in examining Pahlavi nationalism as an explanatory variable in the analysis of authoritarianism, thereby contributing to bridging the gap between nationalism studies and analyses of authoritarian state formation in contemporary Iran.