Reframing the Religious in the Iranian Enlightenment Period

The enlightenment period in late 19th-early 20th century Iran is very important for the understanding of modern Iran. It formed the basis for the constitutional movement und offered elementary ideas of Iranian self-awareness in reaction to the colonial interests of European powers. The Iranian enlightenment discourse constitutes a pool of new ideas that were influenced by the reception of knowledge from the European sciences and indigenous social and religious conventions.
The paper focuses on the discoursive practices of influential publications of the enlightenment period to redefine the religious in the context of Iran's development to modernity and progress. It will shed light on the process of creating new meanings that were important for a new conception of history and the imagination of the Iranian community of that period. Last but not least, the paper will discuss crucial theoretical and methodological questions that can bring new insights into the issue of reframing the religious.