Who Is a Patriotic Man? Rethinking Hegemonic Masculinity in Modern Iran

ABSTRACT This article examines the analytical viability of the concept of “hegemonic masculinity” in the historical study of masculinities in early‐twentieth‐century Iran (c.1890–1941). It argues that a radical problematizing of the concepts of hegemony, class, “the West,” and patriotism helps us move beyond the binaries of Western‐Iranian and modern‐traditional masculinities and opens up new discussions of plurality versus shared patterns in both categories. To achieve a deeper historicization of masculinities in Iran, it engages with recent theoretical debates in masculinity studies to challenge and complicate existing assumptions about the distinctness of a Western‐educated Iranian elite and the singularity of their hegemonic masculinity. The article draws on archival and press materials, memoirs, travelogues, and other texts produced by Iranian nationalist men and European orientalists, while using selected sketches from the life and political activities of the prominent Iranian politician, Hasan Taqizadeh, as analytical entry points. Finally, this article explores the potential contributions of the Iranian case to the ongoing theoretical debates that aim to modify Connell's model for greater analytical precision in historical research.