Iranian Journal of Sociology

Abstract After the Islamic revolution, a religious discipline became dominant. This question appeared whether in postrevolutionary society people are more religious. In previous researches, it is mentioned that there is a gap in religiosity data. The gap is between religious believes, experiences, and emotions on one side and collective rituals on the other side. Also, the gap is between individual religious behaviors on one hand and collective rituals on the other hand. It is rarely discussed the gap inside the collective rituals. However, it is an important gap that enables us to analyze the religiosity in contemporary Iran through concepts other than secularization and privatization of religiosity. According to secondary analysis of data from two national surveys in 1390 and 1395, secondary rituals like pilgrimage were considerably popular. People turn to these rituals relying on their emotions. Besides, self-referential religiosity that is based on emotions has become important. Based on this, religious crowds have been formed which could be an important base to reproduce the dominant ideological apparatus. The duality of religious crowds and formal religiosity does not give us a realistic depiction. Nor does the duality of formal and individual religiosity. Furthermore, although the centrality of emotions and desires can lead to the formation of creative subject- as Alain Touraine said- but looking at the policies of government on secondary collective rituals, it is more probable that it will lead to the merge of the individual into the crowd. In this way, the ideological apparatus of the state will be reproduced and authoritarianism will be strengthened. The study of religious literature in Iran indicates a change in the ideological apparatus of the state from emphasizing individual worship such as prayer and fasting to collective rituals and sacred spaces.
 

Abstract Comparative historical analysis is one of the most important and efficient methodologies in contemporary social sciences. It seems that this methodology can help us develop C. Wright Mills's concepts of sociological imagination.  Theda Skocpol, under the influence of Mills, employed sociology's historical imagination in analyzing social problems.  He argues that there are three approaches to historical sociology: interpretive historical sociology, macro-historical sociology, and analytical historical sociology. In this paper, the characteristics of comparative historical analysis are explained and then the application of this methodology is clarified in analyzing Iran s problems. In the end, the limitations and possibilities are mentioned.

Abstract The increasing trend of female labor force participation and women’s employment has been identified as one of the most significant characteristics of contemporary societies, which reflect the revolution in gender roles. Historically and globally, a positive attitude towards women’s employment has played a crucial role in a substantial increase in female labor force participation. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the patterns and determinants associated with attitudes towards women’s employment. The research sample includes 5200 males and females aged 15 years old and over residing in the selected urban and rural areas of Iran. Generally speaking, the results of this analysis indicate that although the importance and priority of women’s employment remain behind education and marriage for women, the majority of the respondents have positive attitudes towards women’s employment. However, this general pattern is significantly affected by religiosity and demographic determinants such as age, gender, rural-urban places of residence, marital status, and education.
 
 

Abstract In order to study the interrelationship between science and industry (ISI), a systemic model based on Parsons AGIL is presented. Then, using data from 128 countries, correlation and regression between the main factors of the model were evaluated using SPSS software. Finally, with the use of national data and surveys, the current situation in Iran is assessed more scrutinizingly. Research findings show a direct and very high impact of economic conditions and higher education on the interrelationships between science and industry, an impact of government performance on economic conditions, an effect of political structures on government performance, and a high impact of cultural structures on political structures. Examining Iran's situation shows that the economic and political factors in Iran are not appropriate at all for expanding of interrelationships between science and industry, but cultural and social factors are relatively good for interrelationships between science and industry.
              
 

Abstract The complex and vague relationship between the type of occupation and election participation has received little attention in Iran. This article attempted to investigate the relationship between the two variables in the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Presidential Elections using the comparative research method. The research findings showed that the election periods, as independent variables, have significant impacts on election participation, so we cannot create an index for all of the election periods.
In the Tenth and Eleventh election periods, the rates of election participation among businesses were lower than the private sector. Furthermore, the participation rate is low among the following occupation: service personnel and sellers, technicians and assistants, specialists, and workers.

Abstract Max Weber is one of the most important founders of historical sociology. Not only, he emphasized the historical study of social problems, but also he seriously pursued a comparative approach. He developed his work with a focus on capitalism and an emphasis on the process of rationalization. The main point here is that weber sought to reconcile the interpretation with explanation, and specificity with general issues. For him, objectivity in the social sciences was important. In this article, we did three jobs. First, we discussed his efforts to describe, explain, and generalize a phenomenon in historical sociology by examining his methodological works. Second, we examined the main difference between Weber’s point of view and the oriental discourse. Finally, we argued that in order to avoid reducing the Western modernity to construction, one should use Weber’s ideal type - contrary to the theory of discourse.   
 

Abstract The purpose of the research is to explain the process of forming a “reflective traditional personality” concerning the three anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism and anti-arrogance discourses. This research was done through applying the analytical method. The social representative of the “reflective traditional personality” is a new middle class. The new middle class is a social group that has been gradually formed in Iranian society since the early nineteenth century, to introduce new social changes inspired by Western societies. The results showed that, contrary to expectations, this group has not become a social carrier of such changes. They adopted different social and political patterns of behavior and a special sociocultural personality, referred to here as a “reflexive traditional personality”. Anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism, and anti-arrogance processes are related to three processes of discourse making, the ideologization of political thought in Iran and the establishment of the capitalist. These discourses have significantly influenced the emergence of this personality. The results also showed that the social structures in Middle Eastern societies including Iran have changed differently and led to  “reflexive traditional societies”.
 

Abstract Viewing the effects of globalization on democracy  is  an important aspect of human life and one of the topics of interest to political scientists . Is globalization leading to the development and strengthening of democracy or vice versa? The main question of this paper is: How is the impact of globalization on the process of democratization and democratic movements in contemporary Iran? In this study democracy in contemporary Iran as an example, we will consider to understand the impact of globalization on democracy. Our hypothesis is that: The evidence suggests positive effects of globalization, along with other factors in the democratization process, of strengthening democratic and contemporary movements. To this end, after considering the definition of globalization, its dimensions, parameters, routes, and most importantly its impact on democracy, with an emphasis on recent democratic movements in Iran, was reviewed and analyzed. The research analytical method is causal explanation.

Abstract The internet is a new medium with a different nature than its predecessors while at the same time it contains almost all of their functions within its reach. Thus, the internet brings about social changes more considerably among the young generation who have, as in elsewhere, proved to be the primary internet users in Iran. This situation offers the possibility of shaping a globally recognized 'Y generation' in Iran. The members of Y generation are those who have become acquainted with new Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs) from their early teenage and now are moving towards the end of their twenties. In the present article, we will see how effectively the Iranian youth have exploited the communicative capabilities of internet. Based on particular characteristics of the Iranian society, different social groups found internet a suitable site for self-presentation and establishment of communication networks. To achieve their social and cultural ends, Iranian women have enjoyed the facilities of the internet - sometimes even over-reaching the men in their usage. The internet has paved the way for the emerging of new kinds of norm-breakings which could not be dealt with by traditional methods. By the recent years, the internet has been exploited as an effective medium for promotion and diffusion of religion among the Iranian youth. This study, using the methodology of meta-analysis, reveals that the Internet has been influential, if not to say central, in shaping an 'Iranian Y generation'. Furthermore, we have elaborated the characteristics of this Iranian Y generation.