Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T14:53:26.149Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Socialization of Schoolchildren in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Golnar Mehran
Golnar Mehran*
Affiliation:
Al‐Zahra University, Tehran
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Since its establishment in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has attempted to bring about a cultural revolution, aimed at replacing the old value system with new norms, building an ideal society based on Islamic criteria, and creating a New Islamic Person. In fact, one of the most important slogans of the postrevolutionary period has been: “Our revolution is a revolution in values.” Recognising the importance of the school in the process of character formation, the Iranian government has assigned the task of bringing about a revolution in values to the educational system.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Islamic Republic's efforts to create a new generation of committed and doctrinaire Muslims through the study of socialization in schools. Socialization in this context is defined as “the process by which people learn to adopt the norms, values, attitudes, and behaviors accepted and practiced by the ongoing system.”

Type
Original Articles
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , 1989 , pp. 35 - 50
Copyright
Copyright © Association For Iranian Studies, Inc 1989

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Sigel, Roberta A. ed., Learning About Politics: A Reader in Political Socialization (New York: Random House, 1970), p. xii.Google Scholar

2 Davies, James C. “The Family's Role in Political Socialization,” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences 361 (September 1965), pp. 10-19CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Dawson, Richard E. and Prewitt, Kenneth Political Socialization (Boston: Little, Brown, 1969)Google Scholar; Hess, Robert D. “Political Socialization in the Schools,” Harvard Educational Review 38 (Summer 1968), pp. 528-536Google Scholar; Jaros, Dean and Canon, Bradley C. “Transmitting Basic Political Values: The Role of the Educational System,” The School Review 77 (June 1969), pp. 94-107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

3 Anyon, Jean “Ideology and United States History Textbooks,” Harvard Educational Review 49 (August 1979), p. 382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

4 Massialas, Byron G. and Cox, C. Benjamin eds., Inquiry into Social Studies (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966)Google Scholar; Shaver, James P. “Reflective Thinking, Values, and Social Studies Textbooks,” The School Review 73 (Autumn 1965), pp. 225-57CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Joyce, William W. “Minorities in Primary Grade Social Studies Textbooks: A Progress Report,” Social Education 37 (March 1973), pp. 218-33Google Scholar; Croghan, Martin J. and Croghan, Penelope P. Role Models and Readers: A Sociological Analysis (Washington, DC: University Press of America, 1980).Google Scholar

5 Educational System of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Tehran: Ministry of Education, 1984), p. 23.Google Scholar

6 Ibid.

7 Pīrāmūn-e Engelāb-e Farhangī va Enqelāb-e Āmūzeshī [About Cultural and Educational Revolution] no. 45 (Tehran: Organization of Research and Educational Planning, 1980) p. 5.Google Scholar

8 Ettelā˓āt, 30 April 1986.

9 Gholam ˓Ali Haddad ˓Adel (Deputy Minister of Education and Head of the Organization of Research and Educational Planning of the Ministry of Education) and Sayyed Zia al-Din Sadri (Director of the Bureau of Research, Curriculum, and Textbook Development). Interview with author (Tehran, Ministry of Education, 13 May 1985).

10 Chapter 5, “Leisure Time,” Social Studies, Secondary Education, First Year, 1986, p. 83.

11 Chapter 7, “Society and Industrialization,” Social Science, Secondary Education, First Year, 1983, p. 101.

12 Chapter 12, “Self-Sacrifice,” Social Studies, Primary Education, Fifth Year, 1986, p. 265.

13 Chapter 5, “Martyrdom,” Social Science, Secondary Education, Second Year, 1986, p. 113.

14 Ibid., pp. 115-16.

15 Chapter 6, “Leadership,” Social Studies, Primary Education, Fifth Year, 1986, p. 238.

16 Chapter 4, “The Rights and Responsibilities of the People and the Government,” Social Studies, Guidance Cycle, First Year, 1983, pp. 56-57.

17 Chapter 5, “The Mosque,” Social Studies, Primary Education, Fourth Year, 1986, pp. 159-60.

18 Chapter 4, “Relationship Between Religion and Politics,” Social Science, Secondary Education, Fourth Year, 1986, pp. 39-40.

19 The term “Eastoxication” (sharqzadegī) is used by the authorities of the Islamic Republic as an analogy to “Westoxication” (gharbzadegī). Their use of the term East is not in reference to the non-Western world, as it has been commonly utilized, but applies to the socialist countries. Since socialism is defined as the opposing ideology to capitalism advocated by the West, the leaders of the Islamic Republic have used the contrasting term East to represent socialism. Thus Ayatollah Khomeini refers to those who are drawn to the communist East, believe in the socialist ideology, and support the Soviet Union as “Eastoxicated” individuals as opposed to “Westoxicated” ones who are enamored of Western ways, advocate the adoption of Western values and ideas, and support the United States (Khomeini, Ayatollah “New Year's Message, 21 March 1980,” Dar Jostojū-ye Rāh az Kalam-e Imām; Dāneshgāh va Enqelāb-e Farhangī [In search of the Path: University and Cultural Revolution] (Tehran: Amir Kabir, 1984), pp. 207-208.Google Scholar

20 Chapter 2, “Religion and Politics,” Social Science, Secondary Education, First Year, 1983, pp. 18-22.

21 Chapter 1, “Official Characteristics of Our Country,” Social Studies, Guidance Cycle, First Year, 1986, p. 16.

22 Chapter 11, “Islamic Community,” Social Studies, Primary Education, Fourth Year, 1986, p. 181.

23 Chapter 15, “Nationalism,” Social Science, Secondary Education, Fourth Year, 1986, pp. 132-35.

24 Chapter 1, “Islamic Revolution,” Social Studies, Primary Education, Fifth Year, 1986, p. 217.

25 Chapter 4, “The Enemies of the Clergy,” Social Science, Secondary Education, Second Year, 1986, pp. 83, 92.

26 Chapter 2, “Rights,” Social Science, Secondary Education, Fifth Year, 1986, p. 23.

27 Chapter 2, “Independence,” Social Studies, Primary Education, Fifth Year, 1986, p. 224.

28 Chapter 2, “Rights,” Social Science, Secondary Education, First Year, 1986, p. 25.

29 Chapter 12, “Nations of the World,” Social Studies, Primary Education, Fourth Year, 1986, pp. 184-86.

30 Chapter 14, “Imperialism,” Social Science, Secondary Education, Fourth Year, 1986, p. 121.

31 Chapter 6, “Mass Media,” Social Science, Secondary Education, First Year, 1986, pp. 120-21.

32 Chapter 5, “Martyrdom,” Social Science, Secondary Education, Second Year, 1986, p. 147.

33 Chapter 14, “Imperialism,” Social Science, Secondary Education, Fourth Year, 1986, pp. 120-21.

34 Chapter 4, “Advancement and Backwardness,” Social Science, Secondary Education, First Year, 1986, pp. 49-50.

35 Chapter 5, “Martyrdom,” Social Science, Secondary Education, Second Year, 1986, pp. 136-37.

36 Chapter 4, “Advancement and Backwardness,” Social Science, Secondary Education, First Year, 1986, p. 56.

37 “Martyrdom,” Social Science, Secondary Education, Second Year, 1986, pp. 118-19.

38 “Morality,” Social Science, Secondary Education, First Year, 1986.

39 Chapter 4, “The Clergy,” Social Science, Secondary Education, Second Year, 1986, p. 110.

40 Chapter 2, “Religion and Politics,” Social Science, Secondary Education, First Year, 1983, p. 29.

41 Ibid., p. 19.