University of Tehran Research in Contemporary World Literature 2588-4131 31 1 2026 03 21 Imagology of the East in the Works of Elchin Safarli Imagology of the East in the Works of Elchin Safarli 59 78 104486 10.22059/jor.2025.399513.2698 FA Zeinab Sadeghi Sahlabad Department of Russian Language, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran 0000-0002-7031-0763 Journal Article 2025 07 27 Imagology is an interdisciplinary branch of comparative literature that examines how the culture of the “Self” represents the “Other,” and, conversely, how the “Self” is portrayed within the literature of the “Other.” This field investigates the formation, transmission, and impact of such images on individual and collective identities within linguistic and cultural frameworks. Employing the theoretical framework of imagology, the present study analyzes the representation of the East in the works of Elchin Safarli (b. 1984), a contemporary Azerbaijani Russian writer and journalist. Safarli’s Russian language narratives, noted for their emotive and multilayered simplicity, have earned a distinctive place among contemporary bestsellers. His major thematic concerns include personal crises, loneliness, migration, and intergenerational bonds. In Safarli’s oeuvre, the depiction of the East transcends geographical boundaries, functioning instead as a multifaceted symbol of identity, experience, and cultural relations that acquires meaning within the context of intercultural dialogue. Through this symbolism, Safarli invites readers into a richly emotional and nostalgic world. This research aims to explore the representation of the East as the image of the “Other” in Safarli’s works in order to deepen understanding of contemporary cultural identity and literary migration discourse. It demonstrates that Safarli’s portrayal of the East arises from a complex interplay of stereotypes, narratives, and sociocultural experiences, which together contribute to constructing a renewed and nuanced image of the “Other.” Imagology is an interdisciplinary branch of comparative literature that examines how the culture of the “Self” represents the “Other,” and, conversely, how the “Self” is portrayed within the literature of the “Other.” This field investigates the formation, transmission, and impact of such images on individual and collective identities within linguistic and cultural frameworks. Employing the theoretical framework of imagology, the present study analyzes the representation of the East in the works of Elchin Safarli (b. 1984), a contemporary Azerbaijani Russian writer and journalist. Safarli’s Russian language narratives, noted for their emotive and multilayered simplicity, have earned a distinctive place among contemporary bestsellers. His major thematic concerns include personal crises, loneliness, migration, and intergenerational bonds. In Safarli’s oeuvre, the depiction of the East transcends geographical boundaries, functioning instead as a multifaceted symbol of identity, experience, and cultural relations that acquires meaning within the context of intercultural dialogue. Through this symbolism, Safarli invites readers into a richly emotional and nostalgic world. This research aims to explore the representation of the East as the image of the “Other” in Safarli’s works in order to deepen understanding of contemporary cultural identity and literary migration discourse. It demonstrates that Safarli’s portrayal of the East arises from a complex interplay of stereotypes, narratives, and sociocultural experiences, which together contribute to constructing a renewed and nuanced image of the “Other.” https://jor.ut.ac.ir/article_104486_3737472d8ac5694808bfcc9ea4c67df1.pdf