Journal of Iranian Cultural Research

Journal of Iranian Cultural Research

The culture of peace in Iran's symbolic narratives: A semiotic reading, from myth to international politics

Document Type : Scientific Research Manuscript

Author
Assistant Professor of the International Relations Department, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
10.22035/jicr.2026.3606.3820
Abstract
Understanding Iran's international behavior, as a nation with an ancient civilization and complex cultural layers, necessitates moving beyond superficial analyses and examining its symbolic deep structures. Employing Yuri Lotman's theory of the "Semiosphere," this study investigates the discourse of peace within Iran's national and cultural symbols. The central research question asks: How is the narrative of peace formulated through semiotic mechanisms within Iran's semiosphere, and what relationship does this formulation bear to the country's pattern of conduct in the international arena? The research employs "intertextual analysis" to examine five texts of Iranian culture (the Derafsh-e Kaviani, Persepolis, the Persian Garden, the Shahnameh, and classical Persian poetry). The findings indicate the existence of a "Grand Narrative of Justice-Oriented Peace" at the core of this semiosphere—a narrative that defines peace not as a passive state, but as an ideal contingent upon the realization of "Arta" (Just Order) and the negation of "Druj" (Injustice). This narrative elucidates Iran's behavioral pattern, characterized by the avoidance of aggression and an emphasis on legitimate defense. Beyond explicating Iran's behavioral pattern, a comparative analysis of the Iranian and Western semiospheres reveals that the persistent interpretive gap in international relations stems from a clash of conflicting cultural codes. What is signified within the Iranian semiosphere as "legitimate defense" and the "restoration of Arta" is translated within the Western semiosphere—grounded in the Westphalian order—as "aggression" and "destabilization," and neglect of this internal logic reduces prevailing analyses to mere reductionism.
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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 21 March 2026

  • Receive Date 06 September 2025
  • Revise Date 30 April 2025
  • Accept Date 05 February 2026