Sociology
Ayoub Menati; Taha ashayeri; Hossein Mohseni
Abstract
Ethnic identity is a sense of belonging to a group based on kinship ties, shared language and culture, historical memory, and distinctive customs, and its extreme attachment can hinder the formation of national social capital. The present study aimed to identify factors influencing attachment to ethnic ...
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Ethnic identity is a sense of belonging to a group based on kinship ties, shared language and culture, historical memory, and distinctive customs, and its extreme attachment can hinder the formation of national social capital. The present study aimed to identify factors influencing attachment to ethnic identity in Iran through a meta-analysis of sociological research conducted in this field. The research method was quantitative meta-analysis with purposive-non-probability sampling. Among 65 scientific documents from the Noormags, Magiran, Irandoc, and the Academic Jihad Database, 46 documents from the period 2002 to 2024 were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and analyzed using Cohen's d and Fisher's f tests. The results indicate that socialization, social cohesion, ethnic trust, social belonging, and social discrimination (social factors); mass media consumption, religious beliefs, cultural capital, cultural awareness and literacy, ethnic norms and beliefs (cultural factors); political development, political participation, political efficacy, reference model of ethnic elites (political factors); relative deprivation, economic participation, socio-economic base, economic justice and equality (economic factors); and stereotypes, ethnic and normative labeling, social status, and feeling of satisfaction (psychological factors) have an impact on attachment to ethnic identity.
Methodology of Social Sciences
Ismail Aalizad
Abstract
This article examines the limitations of variable-based approaches to the analysis of complex and contextual phenomena by rethinking the logic of causality in the social sciences. Variable-based approaches define causality primarily in terms of correlations or statistical effects between variables and ...
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This article examines the limitations of variable-based approaches to the analysis of complex and contextual phenomena by rethinking the logic of causality in the social sciences. Variable-based approaches define causality primarily in terms of correlations or statistical effects between variables and consider it to be linear, symmetric, and largely probabilistic, which limits the ability to answer “under what conditions” questions. In contrast, set-based causality logic, by focusing on necessary and sufficient relationships, allows for the analysis of causal combinations, multipaths, and asymmetries of relationships. By recognizing empirical heterogeneity and being sensitive to degree differences between cases, this logic strengthens the link between theory, conceptualization, and empirical analysis. The FsQCA framework is introduced as an operational formulation of this logic that uses fuzzy sets to enable the simultaneous analysis of necessary conditions and sufficient combinations. However, its successful application requires a clear theoretical framework, precise conceptual calibration, and correct definition of sets. The paper shows that the transition from linear to mixed causality has important implications for research questions, generalizability, and explanatory validity, and can lead to the production of more realistic and theoretically richer explanations in social research.
Sociology
Ahmad Ghiasvand; Ardeshir Entezari; Mohammadreza Moazzenpour
Abstract
Marriage in Iranian society—particularly among young people—is no longer perceived as a self-evident and pre-defined milestone in the life course and is increasingly marked by patterns of delay and suspension. This study aims to understand the social and cultural processes underlying this ...
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Marriage in Iranian society—particularly among young people—is no longer perceived as a self-evident and pre-defined milestone in the life course and is increasingly marked by patterns of delay and suspension. This study aims to understand the social and cultural processes underlying this transformation and to explain the logic of action among individuals who postpone or avoid marriage. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach and grounded theory methodology. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with single adults aged 32 and above in Tehran and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. The analysis led to the identification of the core phenomenon of “Choosing Singlehood in the Narrow Passage of Safety: The Redefinition of Marriage as a Conditional and Risk-Laden Choice.” This process reflects a shift in which marriage is redefined from a biological and normative imperative to a conditional, calculative, and risk-laden decision. The causal conditions shaping this phenomenon include the individualization of values, transformations in the emotional economy of marriage, a crisis of meaning surrounding the institution of marriage, negative experiences of close others, and structural insecurities.
Sociology
Mostafa Keshvari charami; Ali Janadeleh
Abstract
The presence of Afghan nationals in Iran over the past five decades has been accompanied by successive waves of migration. Recent developments in Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban have intensified the massive influx of migrants—predominantly undocumented—and the "Regularization Plan ...
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The presence of Afghan nationals in Iran over the past five decades has been accompanied by successive waves of migration. Recent developments in Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban have intensified the massive influx of migrants—predominantly undocumented—and the "Regularization Plan for Foreign Nationals," aimed at identifying, controlling, and deporting them, represents Iran's latest policy in this regard. This study employs the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) method and analyzes documentary, field, and statistical data to provide a balanced evaluation of the plan's potential positive and negative consequences across social, economic, security, and international dimensions. The findings indicate that although the implementation of the plan is associated with achievements such as reducing urban crime, alleviating the burden of hidden subsidies, and enhancing the sense of social security, it faces serious challenges including rising xenophobia, violations of children's rights, the collapse of low‑cost employment networks, the weakening of small‑scale industries, and the exacerbation of human trafficking. At the international level, the policy may also pose challenges to Iran's foreign relations and human rights reputation. Finally, drawing on the SIA approach, a set of preventive, mitigative, and compensatory policies is proposed to manage the negative repercussions while reinforcing the plan's positive achievements.
Sociology
Fatemeh Barforoush; Mahdi Malmir
Abstract
Despite the rise in women’s educational attainment in Iran, their economic participation remains below the global average and disproportionate to the country’s human capital potential. This gap is not only the result of individual discrimination but also reflects structural and institutional ...
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Despite the rise in women’s educational attainment in Iran, their economic participation remains below the global average and disproportionate to the country’s human capital potential. This gap is not only the result of individual discrimination but also reflects structural and institutional barriers that limit women’s entry into and retention within the labor market. Using the new institutionalist approach and Douglas North’s theory of social orders, this study examines institutional determinants of women’s economic participation. The conceptual framework distinguishes between open access and limited access orders, with Iran analyzed as a case of a limited access institutional order. Quantitative data from international sources covering 2011–2021 are employed. Multiple regression and path analyses are used to assess the relationships between institutional, economic, and access-related variables. Independent variables include the rule of law, democracy, political stability, economic freedom, innovation, economic growth, and women’s access to educational and political opportunities. Findings indicate that weak rule of law, concentration of power, and institutional restrictions on equal access constitute the main barriers to women’s economic participation. Moreover, economic growth without effective institutions has limited and unstable effects. Accordingly, institutional reform and women’s educational and political empowerment are essential preconditions for improving their economic participation.
Sociology
Narges Niyazi; Mohsen noghani dokht bahmani; Ahmadreza asgharpour masouleh
Abstract
This study aims to develop a theoretical framework for analyzing the processes of formation, stabilization, and transformation of participatory local organizations. Conducted in response to the limitations of rationalist and functionalist approaches in explaining institutional and intra-organizational ...
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This study aims to develop a theoretical framework for analyzing the processes of formation, stabilization, and transformation of participatory local organizations. Conducted in response to the limitations of rationalist and functionalist approaches in explaining institutional and intra-organizational dynamics of collective action, the research draws on constructivist institutionalism to reconceptualize the organization as a multilayered field of action, meaning, discourse, and institutional structures.Through a critical review of the constructivist institutionalist literature, key concepts such as institutionalization, legitimacy, discourse, and agency are identified and integrated into an analytical model. The proposed framework combines narrative-based analysis with a three-level perspective—structural, agential, and discursive—enabling the reconstruction of institutional processes in organizations operating within specific socio-historical contexts and under conditions of conflicting institutional pressures.This approach not only understands the organization as a constructed yet institutionalized entity, but also offers a dynamic, meaning-oriented, and context-sensitive analysis of collective action and its institutional transformations by bridging micro- and macro-levels. The proposed model is particularly applicable to the study of local organizations characterized by participatory structures, resource and interest sharing, and discursive diversity, especially within societies undergoing transition.
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