Analyzing the concepts, works and understanding of Simmelian in Iran

Yaghoobi, Ali

doi:10.22054/qjss.2025.81231.2815

Analyzing the concepts, works and understanding of Simmelian in Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

ali yaghoobi

Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/qjss.2025.81231.2815

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to examine the concepts, translations, and Simmelian reception in Iran. According to the findings, during the first period—coinciding with the establishment of the University of Tehran and the discipline of sociology—Simmel’s thought was not only overlooked in Iran but also lacked a serious position in Western contexts. In the second period, with the founding of the Institute for Social Research in 1958, Simmel occupied a marginal place within the dominant currents of Iranian sociology—namely, positivists and leftists—and a blurred image of him emerged in the academic sphere. The third period was marked by resistance against sociology in Iran, with the discipline primarily addressing the disadvantaged social classes, while no substantial difference from the preceding stage was observed. In the fourth period, during the 1990s, significant domestic and international developments took place. Post-revolutionary Iranian society transitioned from a revolutionary to a consumer society. Within this context, the concept of lifestyle came to occupy a central position in the humanities and social sciences, and more of Simmel’s works and concepts were translated and produced in Iran.

Keywords

Genealogy

Iranian Sociology

Georg Simmel

Simmelian Reception

Historical Discontinuity

Subjects

Sociology

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Turner, J. H & Bigley, L. (1991). The Emergence of Sociological Theory, Translated into Persian by Abdul Ali Lahsaeizadeh, Shiraz, Shiraz University Publishing Center.