Chapter 6: Educating Zoroastrians In The Islamic Republic Of Iran

This study reveals the challenges the Zoroastrians experience to preserve their cultural identity in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Zoroastrian-produced textbooks provide a frozen-in-time collection of documents showing the core principles that make Zoroastrians the guardians of the Iranian traditions and values. Zoroastrians have a special connection to Iran as the birthplace of Zoroaster, and members of a religious community that have been celebrating Iranian festivals for generations. School textbooks, interviews, historical records, and media reports are examined through the lens of social identity theory.