Iranian Journal of Sociology

Abstract This paper is an attempt to evaluate the progress of the formation of “nation-state” in Iran. Contrary to scholars who argue that the process of “nation-state” building in Iran has not progressed during the last century, this paper illustrates how contemporary Iran has successfully cultivated most of the key features and elements of modern nation-states. It will, however, also focus on the main weaknesses of nation-state in Iran which are generally to do with the failure to develop a modern democracy. After a review of the theoretical literature on the features of modern-nation states, this paper will argue that the increasing institutional differentiation and division of labor, growth of middle class, growth of service and industry sector as opposed to agriculture sector, improved civil awareness, increasing involvement of women in public sphere, expansion of communications and media, rise of NGOs, and dominance of democratic discourse which are all among the features of contemporary Iranian society and politics, have set a suitable stage for the remedy of the democratic weaknesses of nation-state in Iran

Abstract It is commonly believed that nationalism has an ethnic root and ethnicity is the most important element influencing nationalistic tendencies. In the present study, with the aim of examining the relationship between nationalism and ethnicity, the nationalistic tendencies of a group of Iranian students (Baloch, Turk, Fars, Arab, Kurd, and Lor) have been surveyed. The findings of this research revealed that Iranian students have a greater tendency toward, respectively, civic nationalism, archaic nationalism, religious nationalism and state nationalism. Of these, religious nationalism and state nationalism showed a higher correlation and were not distinct. Thus, we are faced with the triple form of civic, archaic and religious nationalism. Therefore, unlike what is commonly supposed, there is no single nationalistic tendency. Also, of the nationalistic tendencies examined here, civic nationalism is much stronger among Iranian students of different ethnicities as compared with other kinds of nationalism. Another finding of the present research suggested that variables such as religion, socio-economic status, gender, and place of residence have no explanatory effect on nationalistic tendencies. Thus it can be claimed that nationalistic tendencies have a meta-religious (Shia/Sunni), meta-gender (female/male) and meta-spatial (urban/rural) nature. However, the explanatory effect and significance of ethnicity, which is the main variable of this research, can be examined and analyzed. Of all nationalistic tendencies, it is the civic nationalism only that is not influenced by ethnicity, has a meta-ethnic nature and covers social and cultural diversity. However, both archaic and religious tendencies represent a difference in the relationship with ethnicity. As a result, ethnic convergence is very high in the tendency toward civic nationalism, followed by archaic nationalism and religious nationalism. Also, nationalistic convergence between civic nationalism and archaism is greater compared with other combinations. Considering the association between ethnicity and nationalistic tendencies, the emergence of ethnic challenges at the time of the dominance of nationalistic ideologies (religious, archaic and civic) over the state can be examined, and this association can be used to speculate the distance (gap) between the state and the nation.