سعدی در آینۀ دیگری

Saadi, unlike other poets, actively participates in his works. His presence is either as a literary-historical figure or an object of reflection. His cultural identity (not necessarily historical) is constructed within these texts through interactions with “the other.” This study examines how Saadi constructs his personal identity in confrontation with the other. It explores how, when speaking in the first person, he places himself within various roles and social groups and against which individuals and collectives. The research employs discourse analysis to extract Saadi’s propositions in interaction and opposition with the other, analyzing his techniques of legitimization and delegitimization. By utilizing Van Dijk’s ideological square and Laclau and Mouffe’s concept of othering, the study illuminates Saadi’s individual and collective identity and his engagement with the other. The findings reveal that Saadi adopts a flexible yet critical approach toward representatives of power (governance, religion, knowledge, and wealth). Through integrating reason, morality, and faith, he critiques and collaborates with dominant discourses of his time. Consequently, Saadi offers a fresh representation of Iranian-Islamic identity, shaped through conflict and cooperation between self and other. Keywords: Saadi's Complete Works, Self and Other, Identity, Discourse Analysis
Introduction
Human identity formation involves defining oneself through social affiliations and differentiations, where the "self" emerges dialectically in relation to the "other." As Grossberg (1996) notes, identities are constructed via differences, which are themselves discursive and fluid. In classical Persian literature, particularly in pre-modern contexts, identity often adhered to essentialist views, dividing society into insiders (self), outsiders (other), and antagonists. Saadi, a 13th-century poet living in a tumultuous era marked by Mongol invasions, embodies this dialectic in his works, where he frequently appears as a character, narrator, or observer.
 
This research focuses on how Saadi's identity is built through confrontations with the other in selected texts from his Kulliyat (Complete Works), including Golestan, Bustan, ghazals, qasidas, and prose. By limiting the corpus to sections where Saadi uses first-person narration or inserts himself as a participant, the study analyzes his discursive struggles. Drawing on Laclau and Mouffe's notion of discursive antagonism—where meanings are unstable and identities form through exclusion—and Van Dijk's ideological square (emphasizing positives of self, negatives of other; de-emphasizing negatives of self, positives of other), the research explores Saadi's flexible critique of power structures. Key questions include: How does Saadi position himself socially in opposition to others? What legitimization tools does he employ? The analysis reveals Saadi's role in redefining Iranian-Islamic identity amid cultural and political flux.
 
Materials & Methods
The corpus comprises selections from Saadi's Kulliyat where he appears as a first-person actor: qasidas reflecting real-life events (e.g., praise poems and return to Shiraz); ghazals with mystical/social dimensions; prose pieces mentioning Saadi; and anecdotes in Golestan and Bustan featuring him as a character. Despite potential fictionality, these texts are ideal for identity analysis due to Saadi's self-insertion.
 
The method is critical discourse analysis (CDA), focusing on how language reproduces power and ideology. Van Dijk's ideological square structures the examination of self-other polarization. Legitimization strategies are analyzed via Van Leeuwen's framework: authorization (via tradition, law, or authority like religion); moral evaluation (through ethical abstractions); rationalization (instrumental/theoretical justifications); and mythopoesis (narrative rewards/punishments). Laclau and Mouffe's othering concept highlights discursive struggles for hegemony.
 
Propositions involving Saadi's interactions with others (family, common people, elites, rulers, religious figures) are extracted and categorized. Tools include semantic analysis (lexical choices for emphasis/de-emphasis) and ideological mapping to trace self-legitimization (e.g., via reason/ethics) and other-delegitimization (e.g., critiquing rigidity in religion or power abuse). The approach is qualitative, with descriptive-analytical interpretation, ensuring fidelity to historical context without anachronistic projections.
Discussion & Results
Saadi's encounters reveal identity construction across social groups. With family (e.g., father/mother in Golestan anecdotes), he contrasts youthful folly with ethical wisdom, prioritizing morality over rigid religiosity. Among common people ("mardoman"), he critiques complacency while advocating contentment, using rationalization tied to faith (e.g., Ash'arite influences on poverty acceptance).
In debates like the "dispute with the claimant" on wealth vs. poverty (Golestan), Saadi mediates between discourses, legitimizing moderation via religious-moral evaluation while critiquing extremes. He aligns with the powerful (e.g., praising Atabegs) but criticizes abuse, employing Van Dijk's square: emphasizing self's positives (reason/ethics in elites like Juwayni brothers) and others' negatives (Mongol tyranny as "wolves").
With intellectuals ("ahl-e fazl"), Saadi humbly elevates art's intrinsic value, othering profit-seekers via moral delegitimization. Among Shirazis, he invokes national pride, blending faith, reason, and beauty to superiorize "self" over foreigners. Politically, in qasidas and meetings (e.g., with Abaqa Khan), he advises rulers on justice, rationalizing via Iranian-Islamic ideals (king as God's shadow), yet critiques via subtle othering (e.g., Mongol "barbarians").
 
Religiously ("ahl-e ma'refat"), Saadi differentiates ethical spirituality from dogmatic orthodoxy, using mythopoesis in anecdotes to reward humility and punish arrogance. In Bustan, he critiques Sufi hypocrisy and hierarchical rigidity, promoting people-centric faith.
Three discourses emerge: spiritual (God-centered, split into ethical vs. rigid); rational (knowledge-driven); and people-oriented (focusing on commoners' welfare). Saadi legitimizes via authorization (religious references) and rationalization, othering rigid power via moral evaluation. Ideological square application: emphasizes self's virtues (ethical flexibility); highlights others' flaws (dogmatism, tyranny); downplays self's negatives (e.g., elite affiliations); ignores others' positives (e.g., order in orthodoxy). Results show Saadi's hybrid identity: scholar-preacher with Sufi leanings, critiquing from within power structures to forge a tolerant Iranian-Islamic self.
 
Conclusion
Saadi constructs his identity as a rational, ethical critic through othering across power domains, legitimizing self via integrated discourses of reason, morality, and faith while delegitimizing rigidity and abuse. This yields a dynamic Iranian-Islamic identity resilient to era's conflicts. Unlike prior studies (e.g., Yazdani on others in Golestan/Bustan; Zarrinkamar on contextual shifts), this comprehensive CDA reveals Saadi's consistent worldview across genres, emphasizing ethical moderation. Future research could compare with contemporaries like Rumi, highlighting Saadi's socio-political engagement. Ultimately, Saadi's works mirror pre-modern identity as discursive, shaped by self-other dialectics.