Kharg Island" by Iranian writer Jalal Ale Ahmad: the role of an ethnographic essay in the formation of the author's anti-Western position

The article is devoted to the ethnographic essay by the Iranian writer Jalal Ale Ahmad "Kharq Island: a unique pearl of the Persian Gulf". The purpose of the study is to trace the connection between this work and the formation of the anti-Western position of its author, as well as the strengthening of anti-Western tendencies in Iranian literature of the 20th century. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that a comprehensive analysis of this essay proved its extremely important role in shaping the anti-Western and anti-colonial position of Ale Ahmad, which was later reflected in one of his most famous works "Garbzadegi" ("Occidentosis"). The article examines the role of ethnographic essays in the work of the Iranian writer, the ideological idea and history of the creation of the essay "Kharg Island", the historical and ethnographic value of the notes and, finally, the negative aspects of the rapid industrialization of the island, which caused fierce criticism of the author. The results obtained indicate that the essay "Kharg Island", written at a time when the construction of an oil pipeline was underway on the island, is not just an ethnographic note by the author, but primarily a "verdict" on the Western path of development of Iranian society, consolidating the country's semi-colonial status in the system of international relations. The essay definitively forms the author's anti-Western position, calling for a radical revision of relations between Iran and the West in order to preserve the Iranian national and cultural identity.