Theories of Cultural Policy and Developing a Model for the Systemic Cycle of Cultural Policy in Iran

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Rohollah Eslami

Ehsan Mozdkhah

Sara Nazif

Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

10.22067/jstinp.2025.93946.1156

Abstract

Cultural policymaking in the Islamic Republic of Iran constitutes a multilayered interplay among power structures, institutional mechanisms, and the state’s quest to define an “official culture.” This study examines how cultural policies operationalize ideological frameworks and regulate meaning-making through institutionalized discourses. Drawing on Habermas’s concepts of the colonization of the lifeworld and communicative rationality, as well as Arendt’s notions of appearance and the common world, the research adopts a qualitative approach that combines policy document analysis with semi-structured interviews with cultural actors. The findings reveal that Iran’s cultural policy primarily institutionalizes a monologic and state-centered interpretation of culture, thereby constraining dialogic and pluralistic expressions within the public sphere. However, the study argues that a shift toward participatory governance and strengthened civil society institutions could foster more inclusive cultural dynamics and facilitate the emergence of a communicative, multi-voiced public realm.

Keywords

Cultural policy

Islamic-Iranian identity

Public sphere

Common world

Cultural diversity

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