Between hatred and resistance: Intersectional readings of Baháʼí activism in Iran

This article employs the theoretical frameworks of intersectionality, Othering, and hate discourse to critically interrogate the evolving agency and discursive marginalization of the Baháʼí community in Iran, across two pivotal periods: before and after the 1979 Revolution. As a marginalized religious minority, Baháʼís have long been subjected to systemic exclusion and discursive erasure within Iran’s religious-political order, often constructed as an “undesirable Other.” This study reconsiders both individual and collective forms of Baháʼí agency, grounded in their spiritual teachings and lived experiences of repression. By doing so, it offers a counter-narrative that challenges dominant state frameworks and reclaims space for alternative representations.



Since the mid-19th century, the Baháʼí Faith has contributed to Iran’s broader political and intellectual transformations. Yet, systematic study of the Baháʼí community remains constrained by structural barriers rooted in taboo, academic censorship, and restricted knowledge production. These limitations constitute a form of epistemic colonization, impeding the emergence of pluralistic and intersubjective discourses. Such conditions have reinforced the Islamic Republic’s hegemonic narratives, deepening processes of othering, hate propagation, and social fragmentation. As a result, not only Baháʼís but also other religious, ethnic, and gender minorities have been systematically marginalized within Iran’s academic and sociopolitical landscape.



This study also examines the Baháʼí worldview and its religious-social discourse within the context of Iran’s intellectual and political transformations and their transnational reverberations. It critically analyzes the structural and discursive mechanisms underlying the systematic othering, institutional exclusion, and enduring discrimination faced by the Baháʼí community. To explain the causal dynamics and broader implications of these processes, the article introduces the concept of the “paradox of suppressed alternatives.” This framework highlights how political repression not only silences dissent but also suppresses potential moral, spiritual, and epistemic alternatives capable of fostering transformative social change. By applying this lens, the study offers a deeper understanding of the ideological mechanisms that marginalize spirituality-centered counter-discourses, including those rooted in Baháʼí teachings.



Drawing on a hybrid methodology, this research combines qualitative methods with historical document analysis and extensive library-based investigation to ensure a multidimensional understanding of the subject. Primary sources including literary texts and official Baháʼí documents are examined through content analysis to trace the community’s influence on Iran’s intellectual and cultural evolution. Participant observation, informed by the author’s two decades of engagement in Baháʼí gatherings across various countries, provides deeper insight into the community’s social structure and practices. Additionally, critical discourse analysis of dominant religious and political narratives in Iranian literature complements this approach. The study addresses three core research questions: (1) What are the foundational principles of the Baháʼí worldview and discourse? (2) How is this discourse embodied in the practices of Iranian Baháʼís? (3) What role does Baháʼí agency play in shaping contemporary Iranian social and political discourse? At its core, the research offers a comprehensive examination of the Baháʼí community’s position within Iran’s broader socio-cultural transformations and its contribution to emerging discourses of change