Conceptions of nature in Iran science, nationalism, and heteroglossia

In the midst of mounting environmental problems in urban Iran, the status of science is becoming more prestigious among various segments of the population. Consequently, debates and discussions about the environment are increasingly taking place, especially among Iranian environmentalists. Are environmental problems in Iran addressed and understood synonymously as in the West, where scientific rationality is expected to provide objective explanations about environmental problems and their solutions? Viewing conceptions of nature as a key investigation site, this study explores distinctive manners in which discourses and practices of the environment unfold in Iran. I argue that, while the scientific-ecological conception of nature is the mainstream framework assumed in environment-related research and programs, another conception of nature - related to Iranian nationhood - also makes key contributions to the environmentalists' understandings of recurring environmental problems. It is further argued that the concept of heteroglossia allows us to examine how these conceptions of nature dialogically appear and evolve in Iranian contexts.