Distortion and Bias in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Historiography / What Were the First Written Works of the Province’s Historiography?

Historians of the province, especially in tribal and clan areas, have narrated diverse information, but the accuracy of this information needs to be examined.

Mohammad Mahdi Roshanfekr, a writer and professor at Yasuj University, stated in an interview with an IBNA reporter: Historiography in the past was mostly narrative, with historians merely recounting events, but today historiography has moved towards analyzing and examining the causes and reasons behind events.

He continued: The province’s historiography, especially in recent years, has deviated from scientific principles and has been influenced by ethnic and tribal rivalries.

This university professor referred to changes in historiography methods and added: Modern historiography has moved towards examining social history and focusing on people’s lives and society.

This writer discussed the developments in historiography in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and said: Historiography in the province was carried out narratively from ancient times, but about 100 years ago, with the introduction of new social historiography methods, this process transformed.

Roshanfekr continued: Historiography in our province has followed a late trajectory and, due to the lack of a written history, entered the field of historiography later than other parts of Iran.

This writer, referring to major changes in historiography methods across the country over the last century, added: In the past, historiography in Iran was mostly narrative, and historians merely stated events without analyzing why and how they occurred.

Roshanfekr, emphasizing the influence of Western historiography methods on Iran, said: This trend was transferred from the West to Iran, and social historiography gradually became prevalent in the country. This style of historiography not only recorded events but also analyzed their causes and consequences.

What Were the First Written Works of Historiography?

This university lecturer referred to the historiography of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province and said: In our province, the first written works of historiography are related to Mr. Mahmoud Bavvar’s book, published in 1324 (1945) under the title ‘Kohgiluyeh.’ This book was the first written historiography of the province, providing information on the region’s history, tribes, and various events.

Roshanfekr, referring to other works such as the book ‘Al-Rajan and Kohgiluyeh’ by Heinz Gaube, noted: The province’s historiography was initially limited to specific figures and tribes, but over time, the social and cultural history of the region gradually came to be written.

Challenges and Harms of Local Historiography in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province

This university professor stated: Of course, new historiography in the province has its own advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, it records social, political, and cultural information, but on the other hand, in some cases, it has tended towards ethnic and tribal history-making and may lead to the distortion of facts.

Roshanfekr also emphasized the necessity of accurate and impartial historiography in the province and said: Social historiography in the province should proceed in a way that everyone can benefit from it, and ethnic and tribal biases should be avoided.

This university professor identified ethnic and tribal biases as one of the major challenges in local historiography of the province and said: In local historiography, sometimes writers, due to tribal affiliations, write history in a way that leads to exaggeration and hero-worship of specific individuals, which can result in the distortion of facts.

Unrealistic Myth-making

Hero-making and myth-making in local historiography were among other issues Roshanfekr referred to and explained: In many writings, historians have engaged in creating unreal histories, intentionally or unintentionally attempting to portray certain individuals or groups as great heroes.

He also referred to tribal historiography and its impact on writings and said: In tribal societies, writers often try to present the history of themselves and their tribe in an exaggerated and prominent way, while this history cannot represent the entire society.

He also considered history-making and hero-making as other drawbacks of the province’s historiography and said: Many writers try to construct history in a way that introduces individuals or groups as heroes, while the realities are different.

Roshanfekr added: These types of historiographies often neglect many social, economic, and political aspects of the province due to a lack of a comprehensive and impartial perspective.

He further emphasized that the local historiography of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, especially in the pre-Islamic Revolution era, requires more precise review and analysis.

This writer and university professor emphasized the necessity of using scientific and research methods in historiography and said: To record the province’s history accurately and documented, reliable sources and a scientific approach must be employed, and personal and biased historiography should be avoided.

He also noted: Historians should write history from an impartial and scientific perspective so that future generations have an accurate and clear picture of the province’s history.

This Yasuj University professor, while referring to fundamental weaknesses in this field, emphasized that historiography must be based on scientific principles and conducted using correct historiographical methods.

Referring to the state of historiography in the province, he said: One of the characteristics of historiography in our province is that many individuals who undertake writing history are not familiar with the scientific foundations of history, which leads to unprincipled historiography.

Ethnic and tribal biases were one of the major problems Roshanfekr pointed out and added: In local historiography, some writers, due to tribal or family affiliations, write history in a way that serves their group interests, using documents and evidence to their advantage and omitting or distorting some facts.

Self-censorship was another problem Roshanfekr mentioned and said: Sometimes writers, for various reasons, including tribal and ethnic considerations, omit or censor some content. This self-censorship results in an incomplete picture of history.

He also emphasized the need for more rigorous oversight of local historiography and said: One of the major problems of the province’s historiography is the lack of necessary oversight in this area. Some individuals without sufficient expertise and knowledge enter this field and engage in writing history.

Roshanfekr continued: Historiography must be conducted scientifically and documented. History must be analyzed within its own temporal and spatial context, and its distortion prevented.

He added: In local historiography, improper rivalries and unrealistic history-making have become a serious blight. These types of unprincipled historiographies can have many negative effects on people’s understanding of the province’s history and cultural identity.

Roshanfekr referred to his personal experiences in the field of historiography and said: I have authored two important books in this field; one titled ‘Tribal Society and Modernization in the Pahlavi Era,’ which was chosen as the province’s book of the year, and the other ‘Kohgiluyeh in the Safavid Era,’ which became the selected book of the year. These books are written based on scientific principles of historiography, and my goal is to record the province’s history accurately and scientifically.

He concluded by emphasizing the importance of scientific historiography: We must avoid personal and biased historiographies and record history transparently and accurately for future generations.