فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Since the Iranian Studies discipline was created, different perspectives have taken shape and serve to present different representations of Iran. The purpose of this research is to identify the discourses of the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World, as an example of contemporary institutions active in the field of Iranian Studies that comprise a range of viewpoints held by scholars participating in that field. Thus, through an analysis of this encyclopedia, several approaches and their possible discourses can be identified based on various individual and institutional dimensions. In this research, thematic analysis and van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis are used as methods to study the Iran–Iraq War as addressed in the relevant entries in the encyclopedia. Results show that perspectives relating to Iran in this encyclopedia are multifaceted, and, in addition to the Western view of the East, the perspectives of Easterners and Iranians (focusing primarily on the Iranian diaspora) have also been included. The representation of Iran in each of these perspectives contains distinct features, as well as definitions of “self” and “others” with regard to Iran and the Islamic Republic. The integration of these approaches is reflected in the discourses and sub-discourses of Iranian Studies in Western institutions. The study also shows that institutions and researchers may both be involved in shaping these discourses; however, with specific reference to the analysis of this encyclopedia, the role of personal perspectives and backgrounds of researchers outweighs the institutional role.