Iranian Journal of Sociology

Abstract The problem of this article is the degree of polity variability between countries. The research question is stated as follows: how can we explain the degree of polity variability between countries? Based on the theoretical framework, social capital is the necessary causal condition for democracy. The original approach of the essay is comparative analysis between countries. The technique for data collection is the analysis of existing data (the secondary). The studied population consists of countries that in 1990 and 2010 have valid data for all the related concepts.  For the arbitration of the article's assumptions the fuzzy method, and for data analysis the SPSS, Excel, and Fs / QCAf software were used. The experimental findings indicate that disregarding the Eastern Bloc countries from the analysis, social trust is often a necessary condition for democracy. Usually civic engagement and trustworthiness are necessary conditions for democracy. Also, the results indicated that authoritarian rule in a country would reduce social capital in the long-term.

Abstract In a surging evolutionary period, self-advisement and analysis is considered a necessity for cultural continuity. Without such rethinking, culture and tradition may lose its possibility of facing new social conditions. The Iranian culture has its own possibilities and barriers whereas rethinking them through an internal ontology increases the vigor of this tradition for confronting new issues and for interacting with other traditions. Here, among today's cultural issues, we call this issue the 'appetency of status'. Gaining status and dignity is socially important everywhere, it stimulates individual and social acts. Nonetheless, currently such stimulation is transformed into an unhealthy symptom. Throughout historical evolutions, it has been displayed and recognized in different aspects of social life. This article is a critical consideration of this cultural feature in relation to structural conditions. It will therefore attempt to describe the nature of appetence for status and thereby focuses on its differences with the ordinary status seeking activities. The article enumerates five features of appetency for status and considers some key domains in the contemporary Iranian culture, domains involved with this issue. At the end it will briefly describe six processes of historical formations of this cultural issue and its outcomes. 

Abstract The national identity of people is considered to constitute the highest commitment to a society and in fact, it is thought of as the core value of every citizen. Peoples' national identity is affected by history, culture, geography, religion and the like. Its existence is necessary for the making and sustaining of a nation-state. The increase of social welfare and the expansion of ICT in recent decades, have improved the possibility of traveling and communicating among people. Meanwhile, traveling, tourism experiences, and familiarity with other core values may cause the weakening or strengthening of national values. Therefore, this research aims to study the relationship of tourism experience and national identity. In this way, Erik Cohen's theory has been applied for articulation of theoretical framework. Based on this, with quantitative approach, survey method and a researcher-designed questionnaire the required data has been gathered through multistage cluster sampling among 378 residents of Shiraz. The validity of the questionnaire has been attained through face and constructed validity, and its reliability is gained by Cronbach Alpha. The gathered data at two levels of descriptive and inferential has been presented and the hypotheses of study have been examined. Among examined variables, the variables of age, external traveling, religious traveling, education, marital status, memorable traveling, quality of traveling, satisfaction of traveling, experimental and experientialexperience have had meaningful relationship with dependent variable (national identity) and internal traveling, recreational experience, gender and ethnicity have not had meaningful relationship with dependent variable (national identity). The results of multivariate regression have shown that six variables of experientialexperience (15 percent), memorable construct (5.1 percent), religious traveling (3.5 percent), external traveling (1.7 percent), quality of traveling (1.4 percent) and age (1.4 percent) have explained 28.7 percent of variation of dependent variable (national identity).

Abstract The present article is a study on women’s perceptions and lived experiences of empowering and submissive acts in their everyday life, in Tehran, from a phenomenological, inductive and exploratory approach. The study has been aimed at discovering the situations and moments in which women feel empowered or submissive in their everyday life. We have applied grounded theory as a qualitative research method. Data were collected through interviews and participant observation. The population under study includes women between 20-60 years of age residing in Tehran. We have employed theoretical sampling method and interviewed 28 women as our sample. The research results indicate that the Iranian women are socialized in two different and paradoxical models: 'mother as a role model' and 'father as a role model'. Normally these negate each other during women’s life. The level of this contrast determines the source of power which a woman uses in each situation. Therefore, two sources of power can be distinguished what we call here the 'conspicuous power” and 'genuine power'. The 'genuine power' comes from the inside of a person not heeding whether a given exertion of power sounds empowering from outside. Whereas, conspicuous power is just a theater of resistance or power displayed for the external spectators. Both sources of power reproduce themselves in women’s individual and social life. 

Abstract In this article, we examine how the central component of cultural policy in the post-revolutionary Iran, 'Hijab' or the veiling policy, is contested by high school girls in Tehran. Qualitative data was gathered through in-depth interviewing among three public-school girls in three districts of Tehran (1, 6, and 12) and analyzed by thematic analysis. Accordingly, we concluded that Hijab, a formal and obligatory ideological code in girls' schools, is resisted by the students in different ways. Paradoxically, Hijab provokes students to create their new but hidden and separated world which is departed from that of the 'state/school ideal'. In fact, challenging the formal wearing codes is the main characteristic of the girls’ everyday life in high schools. 

Abstract Despitean increased awareness ofwomen andtheir accesstocontraceptive devices, there are still womenwhodo not usethesedevices. Not usingcontraception is followed by unplannedpregnanciesand a likely abortion wouldaffect maternal and childhealth. The aimofthis paper isto investigate the prevalenceofcontraceptionamongmarriedKurdish women 15-49years old,in the city ofMahabad. Data are taken from Mahabad Fertility Survey (MFS) conducted on a sample of over 700 households in April of 2012. The resultsshow a widespreaduse ofcontraception among population under the study, to the effect that74.3percent ofwomenwere usingcontraception at the time of survey. Based on thisstudy,the share of modern and traditional methods ofcontraceptive useis 71.2 and 28.8 percent respectively. The results of discriminantanalysis showed that factors such as costs associated with socio-cultural oppositions and the number of surviving children have the most effect on women’s use of contraception. Women's autonomy andtheir attitudes towardsthe costs andbenefitsofchildren are among determinant cultural variables in this respect. The research findings indicate that reducing perceived costs of contraception, improving women's knowledgeaboutmodernmethods ofcontraception, and establishing legitimacy for social/cultural use of these devices play an important rolein implementingthe use ofcontraceptionandthe promotion of maternal and childhealth.

Abstract