Pioneer of Political Modernism in Iran: Mirza Fathali Akhundzadeh

Mirza Fathali Akhundzadeh (born July 12, 1812 – died March 9, 1878) was an Iranian playwright and advocate of freedom. He is regarded as the founder of modern literature in Iran, the first Iranian playwright, a pioneer of European theatrical techniques in Asia, and one of the forerunners of the Iranian constitutionalism and nationalism movements. He was among the earliest and most explicit atheists in the Islamic world. His ideas deeply influenced the thinkers of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, including Mirza Agha Khan Kermani, Mirza Malek Khan, Abdul Rahim Talibov, Mirza Agha Tabrizi, and others. He was among the first to address women’s issues and their problems in his works, especially in his plays, where he dealt with freedom and women’s challenges, though he did not offer solutions for their liberation. Enlightenment, satire of tradition, and praise of modernity were central themes in his plays. Akhundzadeh, aware of modern political thought, highlighted the contradiction between Western politics and traditional Sharia, emphasizing the separation of the two as essential and opposed any fusion of tradition and modernity. Thus, he placed the materialism of modern philosophy against past metaphysical concepts. In opposition to the dominance of religious-Arab culture, Akhundzadeh proposed nationalism by invoking a return to the golden era of ancient Iran, an approach aimed at shaping the identity of a society that felt impoverished and humiliated in comparison to other advancing nations. His ideas did not have significant influence on Iranian culture and politics for many years and were sometimes outright rejected and ignored.