Islamic revolutionary ideology and its narratives: the continued relevance of the Islamic Republic’s ideology

Abstract

Is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s revolutionary ideology still relevant more than 40 years after the revolution? Is it still relevant in the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy? While the Islamic Republic’s ideology undoubtedly developed alongside its institutions over the course of 40 years, this article argues that its revolutionary ideology continues to remain relevant and in fact important. Centring on the Islamic Republic’s ideological discourse, it further argues that it contains several recurring narratives which have remained salient throughout the Islamic Republic’s existence: narratives about the revolution; resistance, anti-imperialism and independence; nationalism; the Iran–Iraq war; and narratives in reference to Islam. Those narratives are part of the Islamic Republic’s ideological foundation and continue to play an important role in contemporary Iranian domestic and foreign policy. The article contributes a comprehensive study of how and why this is the case by enquiring into the strategic discursive employment of these narratives by analysing a major case of international interest: the nuclear issue.