Ethnic Claims in Iran in Terms of Justice and Development

Abstract

The identity/ethnic diversity in modern Iran has occurred contemporaneously with globalisation processes and brought about interethnic conflict orientated toward identity- and justice-seeking to eradicate discrimination and inequality, in line with the achievement of social development. This is the issue that the present research has sought to investigate among Persians, Azeris, Kurds, Arabs and the Baloch in Iran.

Iranian social identities are dissatisfied with the dominance of elements of the Persian identity and do not find the reduced status of Iranian historical identity to be in alignment with justice and the development of collective identities.

There are ambiguities involved in the use of ‘ethnic identity’ and ‘national identity’ among some minorities in Iran, there is a great emphasis on using the word ‘nation’ instead of ‘ethnic group’. The use of the term ‘ethnic’ in this study is not intended to diminish conceptual complexity.

This article is an extract from the author’s recently published book[1], which adopted a hybrid, qualitative approach (grounded theory), using in-depth interview surveys and tools; library documentation; and an open questionnaire in 13 provinces to extract and classify data in the following areas: religious identity and national identity (interaction or opposition), interethnic cultural borders, ethnic and national movement dead-ends, elimination of cultures, and a peace-orientated approach to resolving the crises. Thus, a conceptual model was obtained, shaping basic factors (economic and ideological), intervening factors (media and lifestyle), grounded factors (legal and cultural parameters and resource mismanagement) and phenomenal orientation (claims for justice and the socio-political gap), and presenting strategic action (peaceful action, acceptance of the present conditions and state-nation interactions) and its outcomes (stability and decline of social capital).

Ahmady, Kameel. Et al. From Border to Border (A comprehensive research on Identity and Ethnicity in Iran), 2021, Mehri Publishing, London, UK