Configuration of Rhizomatic Components of Territorialization the " Autocratic Government" Discourse in Iran during the First Pahlavi Era

پژوهش ‎های جغرافیای سیاسی

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 11 July 2025

Document Type: مقالات علمی -پژوهشی

DOI: 10.22067/pg.2025.86322.1267

Author

ehsan lashgari^*

Associated Professor of Political geography; Yazd University; Yazd; Iran

Abstract

One of the poststructuralist theories includes Gilles Deleuze's "Agency" approach which analyzes the relationship between territorialization and deterritorialization among competing discourses with a concentration on how social rhizomes are articulated. In this theory, territory represents an order formed in a time-space section that under a hegemonic discourse; relationship between the elements of state, land, and nation finds a creative concept. In this regard, at the time between the constitutional revolution and the first Pahlavi government emergence in Iran between 1901 and 1925; autocratic government discourse was better able to mobilize rhizomatic forces in the direction of its hegemony in competition with other discourses and make a territorialization based on epistemic reading. In this research, by relying on the interpretive method, has been tried to analyze how social rhizomes are articulated in the construction of autocratic government discourse and how it is territorialized. Findings research show that new rhizomes articulation, such as maintaining security, and territorial integrity, dismantling the traditional forces dominance such as tribal leaders, regional landowners, and official language expansion, were the most important changes that were effective in territorializing the autocratic government discourse in first Pahlavi era. In this discourse, the powerful king was interpreted as the only force who was able to guide other rhizomatic components for the hegemony of this discourse. Therefore, the powerful king became the central signifier of this counter-discourse and commentators also undertook the task connecting of collective reason to this discourse territorialization and by proposing romantic elements such as returning to ancient Iran's glory, tried to create legitimacy for it. This configuration caused the creative meaning formation for Iran’s territory at this time.

Keywords

"Territorialization"; "Rhizome"; "Autocratic Government"; "First Pahlavi"; "Deluze & Guttari"

References