The theory of the function of

Norouzi,, Pejman; Firuzkuhi, Mahdi

doi:10.22034/fasiw.2025.419605.1289

The theory of the function of " Laclau and Mouffe" discourse in strengthening the external deepening of the Islamic revolution

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

pejman norouzi, ¹

mahdi firuzkuhi ²

¹ PhD student in Regional Studies, Imam Hossein (AS) University, Tehran, Iran

² Assistant Professor of Regional Studies, Imam Hossein (AS) University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/fasiw.2025.419605.1289

Abstract

The victory of the Islamic Revolution under the leadership of Imam Khomeini (RA) occurred in circumstances and at a time when none of the elites and thinkers in the fields of politics and sociology, as well as other social fields and even the intelligence and security institutions of that time, considered its realization possible. In addition to the surprise of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the prevailing mentality of the Western elites was that the revolution would be short-lived. However, after several decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran was able to become the greatest obstacle to the colonialist policies of the West, especially the United States, in addition to the West Asian region and other regions of the world. Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran has reached a point where it can be proudly said that the sphere of influence of the values of the Islamic Revolution encompasses a vast geographical area. From the Qibchak Plain to the regions of Central Asia and the Caucasus, from the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan to the borders of China, from the Persian Gulf to the Indian subcontinent and especially from the Bab al-Mandab to the Mediterranean Sea and the American continent, it has become Iran's strategic depth area. On the other hand, this research is a new preparation to propose a call in which the “external deepening of the Islamic Revolution” itself becomes a political phenomenon and by invoking the discourse theory of “Lacla and Mouffe” at the table of “rereading”, it will be a new sublimation to respond to the colorful and diverse harms of the external deepening of the Islamic Revolution. Shiaphobia, Iranophobia and Islamophobia are fake names that have been created by rival discourses to confront the discourse of the Islamic Revolution. The main rival of the discourse of the Islamic Revolution in homogeneous environments is the “Wahhabi discourse”, under the Saudi leadership, the “Brotherhood discourse” and in heterogeneous environments, “liberal democracy”. Therefore, the factor of expanding and deepening the values of the Islamic Revolution should first be sought in discourse-making, that is, transforming the values of the Islamic Revolution into a general and common thought in the target society. Or, more clearly, it can be said, creating a collective understanding about an issue. One element of this discourse-making is the plan, idea, and strategies for its success, which is the goal of this research, and the other element is the elite group that receives, cultivates, and propagates the idea, which requires another article. The main question of the article is how, based on the discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe, it is possible to strengthen the external deepening of the Islamic Revolution in homogeneous and heterogeneous environments? This research has a descriptive-analytical nature, and one of the sub-questions of the research is how the discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe affects and transforms the formation of power discourses in favor of increasing the scope of its hegemony; can it strengthen the external deepening of the Islamic Revolution? The main goal of this research, in addition to confronting the otherness of the discourse of the Islamic Revolution, is to pursue the external deepening of the discourse of the Islamic Revolution through becoming and remaining hegemonic based on the discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe, which is actually the key point and heart of this research. An attempt will be made to prepare this theory for the process of external deepening by making modifications to it. In fact, to make Laclau and Mouffe's discourse theory compatible with the process of external deepening, not every modification or change in the theory can be used. Just as Lakatos believes, if we make changes, however limited, in order to keep the research program compatible with new observations in its undeniable core or "hard core", that research program will be limited and will be ruined. Therefore, Lakatos recommends that any modifications and adjustments in the research program should be made in the "support belt" and not the hard core. Therefore, modifications and adjustments made in the protective belt of Laclau and Mouffe's discourse theory will be made only with the aim of helping to "refine" and not "justify" Laclau and Mouffe's discourse theory, and at the same time, in addition to the fact that the "hard core" has kept the theory safe from danger, it also prepares the theory for application in the discussion of this research.

Keywords

Deepening

Discourse

Laclau and Mouffe

Islamic Revolution

Discourse-making

Subjects

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