Disaster or Development?: The Discursive Struggle over Environment and Water Resources in Iran (A Case Study of the Chamshir Dam)

Articles in Press

Document Type : The article extracted from the thesis or dissertation

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University of Tehran

10.22059/jrd.2026.401830.668940

Abstract

Public controversies surrounding large-scale dam projects in Iran have become a focal point of intense disputes between the state and its critics (including civil society and independent experts). These controversies constitute an arena for a "discursive struggle," where fundamental views on development, the environment, and national interest compete. Focusing on the highly controversial case study of the Chamshir Dam, this article seeks to deconstruct and comparatively analyze the argumentative discourses of the state and its critics. It aims to demonstrate how each side strives to define "reality" and gain legitimacy in the public sphere by constructing different narratives and argumentative logics.



Adopting a qualitative approach and the method of Argumentative Discourse Analysis, this research employs a hybrid analytical framework based on Maarten Hajer's "storyline" concept and Norman and Isabela Fairclough's "practical argumentation model." The findings reveal the emergence and confrontation of two irreconcilable storylines. The state's discourse promotes the storyline of "Chamshir Dam: The Key to National Development and Progress," in which the core issue is defined as the "need for resource management," and the dam is represented as a solution for economic development and a display of national authority. In contrast, the critics' discourse constructs the storyline of "Chamshir Dam: An Impending Disaster and a Battle to Save the Land," which frames the issue as a "multifaceted crisis" (encompassing environmental and governance aspects).



The Chamshir Dam controversy reflects a deep discursive and value-based gap between the state and segments of Iran's civil and scientific society, demonstrating that concepts such as "development," "national interest," and "science" have themselves become sites of contestation.

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The Journal of Community Development (Rural-Urban)

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 16 March 2026

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