Re-reading of Tajaddod and Modernity on Iran’s newspapers: A study of how Reflect

Modernity in west was the result of different historical steps that began with Renaissance and continued to movement of religious-intellectual reformation and industrial revolution. Indeed, Modernity shaped as consequence of this process. Printed media played main role in appearance of new science, culture, sight, and shaping of modernity because they were mediatory of knowledge and information in west societies. In Iran, Tajaddod led to conflicts of thoughts because we did not pay attention to differences of Tajaddod and Modernity. Then, the present thesis aims to study the way components of Tajaddod and modernity were reflected in Qajar era newspapers and how its changes during 07 years. The contents of five newspapers Vaqaye-e Ettefaqieh, Dowlate Ellieh Iran, Akhtar, Habl al-matin, and Tamaddon, were analyzed using a conceptional framework based on Tajaddod and Modernity components , the theoretical studies based on the theories of Diffusion of innovations, Cultural lag, Mediation theory and Alternative modernity, and the quantitative and qualitative Content analysis method. Vaqaye-e Ettefaqieh was the only Persian newspaper in Iran during the first decade of Naseri era (8181- 8191) and other newspapers were randomly selected from among the newspapers published in other decades. Using systematic sampling method, 23 issues of each newspaper were selected. In quantitative part, some of the important independent variables were subjects of contents, type of contents, having components of Tajaddod/ Modernity, the kind of Tajaddod / Modernity components in content, type of attitude to Tajaddod/ Modernity components. Moreover, in qualitative part, Variables were the reasons for explanation of Tajaddod / Modernity components, the connotations about them in content of newspapers. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS software, and the relationship between variables examined using Chi-Square test. The qualitative data given in tabular form. The result showed there was a significant difference between the five newspapers in terms of different variables but Cramer coefficient showed a weak intensify. According to findings: 1- The components of Tajaddod and modernity had a low share in the newspapers, where Tajaddod components were predominant. 2- In one hand, communication components reflected more than any other components of Tajaddod and in the other hand, Social ideals of modern human (freedom, equality, and law), and Progressivism reflected more than other components of modernity in all decades. 3- In addition, in most of their contents, all newspapers merely had a function of giving information on the components of Tajaddod and modernity, and rarely took orientations. 4- Also, scientific- technological lags from European and neighboring countries, national interests, government supports of innovators were most connotations about Tajaddod components while traditional sources used about modernity ones. Furthermore, the advantages of innovations (material or mental) used for argument about necessity to accept or reject components. Totally, rereading of Qajar newspapers shows that Iran’s experience of Tajaddod and modernity is different from western, especially Europe’s Modernity.