A Critique of the Cultural Policies of the Second Pahlavi Regime in the 1960s: A Modernization Project or Cultural Occidentalism?

Abstract

The 1960s (1340s SH) marked a critical turning point in the cultural policymaking of the Second Pahlavi regime in Iran. During this decade, the state, bolstered by oil revenues, a centralized bureaucratic structure, and inspiration from Western modernization models, sought to implement a new cultural order aligned with modern civilizational values. This study, utilizing a descriptive-analytical method and based on extensive library research, examines the cultural policies of the Second Pahlavi state across various domains, including education, media, arts, literature, higher education, language policy, and its relationship with tradition and religion. Findings indicate that while many of these policies demonstrated structural characteristics of classical modernization, at the discursive and value levels they often reflected a deep disconnection from indigenous cultural foundations and an uncritical imitation of Western cultural patterns. Critics such as Jalal Al-e Ahmad, Daryoush Shayegan, and Ehsan Naraqhi characterized this condition as “Westoxification.” Furthermore, the gap between official and popular culture, the exclusion of public participation, and the lack of cultural grounding in policymaking led to widespread intellectual, religious, and social resistance. Ultimately, the study concludes that although the Second Pahlavi regime achieved structural development in the cultural sphere, its policies generated identity fragmentation rather than cohesion, intensifying cultural dissonance within Iranian society.