Explaining Utopia from the Perspective of Abdolhossein Sanatizadeh Kermani

Document Type : Research Article / Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student in Urban Planning, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Professor of Urban Planning, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Since ancient times, human beings have sought to envision and realize an ideal society in which justice, spirituality, freedom, and prosperity prevail. Unlike some Western traditions that regard utopia as purely imaginary, Islamic thought generally considers it attainable. Abdolhossein Sanʿatizadeh Kermani can be regarded as one of the earliest utopian writers in Iran. Examining utopia from his perspective illuminates an Iranian intellectual effort to reconcile tradition and modernity. This study explores Sanʿatizadeh’s ideas in order to provide a comprehensive interpretation of utopia within the framework of Iranian–Islamic culture, demonstrating that literature, alongside philosophy and religion, can serve as a fertile ground for reconstructing civilizational horizons. To this end, narrative analysis, thematic reading, Spragens’ theoretical model, and MAXQDA software are employed. Based on the analysis of three major works, Majmaʿ-e Divanegan, Rostam in the 22nd Century, and Ruzegari ke Gozasht, the study concludes that, in Sanʿatizadeh’s view, utopia is a society in which five fundamental pillars, rationality, justice, freedom, nature, and education, interact synergistically to enable both material and spiritual human development.

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Volume 16, Issue 1
March 2026
Pages 127-151
  • Receive Date: 20 July 2025
  • Revise Date: 07 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 25 October 2025
  • Publish Date: 21 March 2026