Contemporary Iranian discourses have generally addressed Orientalism and colonialism through political, historical, or sociological perspectives, while their ontological foundations have received comparatively limited attention. Employing a descriptive-analytical method and a hermeneutical approach to the works of Reza Davari Ardakani, this study seeks to clarify the place of Orientalism and colonialism within his intellectual framework. The findings indicate that, unlike prevailing approaches, Davari regards Orientalism not as a merely political project or a discourse of power, but as an inevitable consequence of the history of Western metaphysics and the dominance of subject-centered thought. From this perspective, colonialism constitutes the practical and institutional realization of this historical destiny, through which the non-Western world is transformed into an object of appropriation.

The main contribution of the article is to situate this view in relation to other interpretations. While recognizing the explanatory strength of Davari’s account in tracing the roots of the crisis, the study compares it with the pragmatic approach of Mohammad Mossadegh and the social perspectives of Ali Shariati and Jalal Al-e Ahmad. It thereby examines the tension between historical determinism and human agency. The article concludes that Davari’s genealogy provides a fundamental framework for understanding the contemporary condition of the non-Western world, provided that it is qualified by due attention to the necessity of human agency.