Introduction: The novel The Teacher of the Nomadic Land by Danial Niri, focusing on nomadic life in Iran, offers a distinct representation of fluid territories, desert space, and tribal (pastoral) life. The main issue of this study is to examine how space, movement, and territory are represented in this literary work.
Objectives: This study analyzes the representation of nomadic territory, the role of desert space in shaping tribal identity, and the relationship among mobility, social organization, and interaction with external structures in the novel.
Methodology: This research adopts a descriptive–analytical approach based on close textual reading of the novel. It draws on the theoretical perspectives of Anatoly Khazanov, particularly his work Nomads and the Outside World, to analyze the concepts of nomadism, territory, and their relation to social structures.
Geographical Context: The study focuses on the desert spaces and nomadic ecosystems of Iran as represented in the novel, with particular attention to tribal regions and migration routes.
Results and Discussion: The findings indicate that the desert is portrayed not merely as a geographical backdrop but as an active, lived space shaping identity and social organization. Territory is fluid in nature and defined through movement and migratory routes. Movement itself functions as the organizing principle of nomadic life, forming the basis of identity and social order. Furthermore, the relationship between humans and nature is depicted as deeply intertwined, while interactions with external structures are represented through a tension between “fixity” and “fluidity.”
Conclusion: Overall, the study demonstrates that the novel represents nomadism not simply as a way of life, but as a mode of organizing space and identity. Within this framework, the desert plays a key role in shaping lived tribal experience and the concept of territory, offering a new perspective on nomadic life in contemporary literature.