Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Arash Heydari ¹
• Benyamin Hoseini Bojd ²

¹ Assistant professor at university of science and culture-Tehran, Iran

² MA Student, Department of Cultural Studies, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

This research examines the socio-economic transformations of the 1390s in Iran and the emergence of the new "nouveau riche" class. This decade, characterized by unstable growth, chronic inflation, and a rentier economy under sanctions, led to the deepening of class divides and the intensification of inequalities. Analysis of official data shows that wealth has become concentrated in the hands of a minority, primarily through non-productive activities, rent-seeking, and speculation; this concentration has occurred even against a backdrop of zero or negative economic growth.
The cultural consequence of this class's emergence is a sweeping value transformation. Conspicuous consumption and ostentation, as the primary path to self-esteem, have become the dominant and hegemonic content of the social atmosphere, profoundly impacting public culture and structures of desire.
This article utilizes official secondary data and theoretical frameworks to first describe the economic emergence of this class and then critically analyze its cultural and value-based consequences. Findings indicate the cultural determinants of this emergence include: the disdain for productive labor and the legitimization of speculation; the transformation of status criteria; the normalization of corruption; the commodification of culture and ethics; and the erosion of social capital and trust.

Keywords

• Nouveau Riche
• Conspicuous Consumption
• Economic Crisis
• Plunder
• Hegemony

Main Subjects

• Sociology