A localized Alexander: the Myth of Alexander the Great in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Iran

Abstract

This dissertation examines Luri oral traditions in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, focusing on role in shaping historical memory and identity through narratives of Alexander the Great. Using a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, it traces the evolution of Alexander’s legend across Greek, Byzantine, Syriac, and Persian sources, demonstrating that oral traditions are not passive reflections of history but active historiographical forces that preserve, reinterpret, and resist dominant narratives. By analyzing onomastics (naming practices), toponyms (place names), and gendered representations, the study examines how Luri oral traditions function as sites of cultural resistance, challenging Persian nationalist historiography. It explores how Reżā Šāh’s policies marginalized regional oral traditions, promoting the Šāhnāme while sidelining Niẓāmī’s Iskandarnāme, yet Lur oral performers continued to preserve alternative narratives, maintaining distinct historical perspectives. Through ethnographic fieldwork and an analysis of oral storytelling techniques, the study categorizes Luri oral narratives into Mas̩al (proverbs), Muqawwm (chants), Tims̩āl (literary adaptations and genealogies), Matīl (fables), and Iʿtiqāt (beliefs), demonstrating how these traditions actively shape and transmit historical meaning. The findings underscore the urgency of preserving regional oral traditions, as their erosion threatens to erase alternative historiographies and counter-histories essential to understanding Iran’s diverse historical landscape. This study contributes to oral history, historiography, and cultural memory studies, offering insights into how oral traditions function as mechanisms of historical negotiation, cultural resistance, and identity formation beyond Iran.