The patterns of representation of national identity in Iran's educational system

This article uses the theoretical model of 'national socialization' (Hau, 2009) and examines the association between national identity and educational system. According to this theoretical model, national identity is recognized as a enduring process such that various socialization mechanisms (particularly, educational system) play vital roles in shaping and internalizing national identity. The comprehensive literature review in this article shows that educational systems throughout the world tend to represent ideal types of national identity through schools' educational resources, which are strongly affected by power relations and ideology. Using the method of content analysis, this study focuses on the school-textbooks of Iran in three educational levels including primary, intermediate, and high schools. The results of this analysis present research-based evidence to explain the main patterns associated with the representation of national identity through these educational resources.