The Rise and Fall of Political Movements in the Late 19th Century and First Half of 20th Century Kurdistan (an Organisational Analysis)

Kurdological literature has been mainly limited to mere historical descriptive discussions characterized by descriptive story telling about personal/private aspects of Kurdish political chiefs. This study tries to provide a new sociological analysis based on synthetic organizational model to examine the process and structure of political movement-making and the causes of their failure in all around Kurdistan in the late 19th century and first half of 20th century. Four organizational theories are employed in this paper: contingency, institutional, population ecology and resource dependency theories. In order to analyse the rise and demise of political movement-making in the late 19th century and first half of 20th century Kurdistan Macro level factors including exogenous factors i.e. the super-powers and central governments, Meso level factors containing socio-economic factors such as tribal-feudalism, regionalism and religion, and Micro Level factors composed of illiteracy and cultural poverty were analysed through aforementioned organizational theories. Our fundamental finding is that the endogenous and exogenous factors have mutually caused the rise and demise of political movement-making. But exogenous factors were the final determinant in shaping, reshaping, directing and finally collapsing on Kurdish movements. Finally it should be asserted that neither exogenous factors nor Endogenous factors were able to meet Kurdish political requirements; exogenous forces were temporal determinants that played their role according to their own economic and political logic and endogenous forces such as tribal-feudalism, regionalism and religion wasted political potential in challenging with the central governments

Family Changes in Iranian Kurdistan: A Mixed Methods Study of Mangor and Gawerk Tribes

Over the last few decades, the Iranian Kurdish society, including family and kinship systems, has experienced enormous changes as a result of government implemented modernization efforts. This paper reports the results of a quantitative/ qualitative mixed methods study aimed at exploring (a) the nature of change in family and kinship systems and (b) how people understand and interpret these changes. The sample for this study was drawn from the Mangor and Gawerk tribes residing in the Mahabad Township located in the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Using standardized questionnaires, 586 people were sampled as part of the quantitative portion of the study. For the qualitative portion, data was collected on 20 people using both in-depth interviews and participant observations. The quantitative data was analyzed by SPSS software and the qualitative data was interpreted using grounded theory procedures. The quantitative findings showed that the urbanization, modern education, and mass media have all contributed to the emergence of a new form of family and kinship life. In addition, while supporting quantitative findings, the qualitative results revealed that participants were aware of and sensitive to sources, processes, and effects of modernization on their family and kinship life

Promoting survival: A grounded theory study of consequences of modern health practices in Ouramanat region of Iranian Kurdistan

The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the way people using modern health care perceive its consequences in Ouraman-e-Takht region of Iranian Kurdistan. Ouraman-e-Takht is a rural, highly mountainous and dry region located in the southwest Kurdistan province of Iran. Recently, modern health practices have been introduced to the region. The purpose of this study was to investigate, from the Ouramains' point of view, the impact that modern health services and practices have had on the Ouraman traditional way of life. Interview data from respondents were analyzed by using grounded theory. Promoting survival was the core category that explained the impact that modern health practices have had on the Ouraman region. The people of Ouraman interpreted modern health practices as increasing their quality of life and promoting their survival. Results are organized around this core category in a paradigm model consisting of conditions, interactions, and consequences. This model can be used to understand the impact of change from the introduction of modern health on a traditional society

A Qualitative Study of Border Marketplaces and their Impacts on Continuation of Smuggling

Introduction Marketplaces and trade free zones are the objective places for economic interactions among people in a large scale. Along the organizational and non-organizational preparations, marketplace is one of pivotal contexts of achieving special aspects of economic action which has been established in order to arrange informal economic and cultural relations of borderers in both sides of the border. Iran’s earthly borders – both mainland and watery- is about 574.8 km, with a cultural and ethnic diversity. There are about 54 border markets in these borderline strips that are so important and need special attention and study. Border markets have an impact on negative consequences of smuggling and smugglers and backers, declining the extent of latent economy. These markets can be studied in several aspects. Accordingly, the function of a formal market (Bashmaq) and two interims (Dareweran & Piran),the smuggling phenomena in Marivan was constantly one of the most pivotal problems that has agonized and occupied responsible correlated organizations in different periods; and it has influenced life and environments of the region’s people in various ways. The original subject of this inquiry is the study of the effects of border markets on smuggling in Marivan city. Then it is reconstructed using qualitative method and also the perception & explanation of people who are settled in this region. Based on the present study, people of the region, as creative actors, can percept and clarify the role of marketplaces in smuggling changes in Marivan city. Material & Methods This paper is based on qualitative methodology and critical anthropological method. A critical anthropological research has a critical standpoint and tries to understand the unequal condition of society that brings a system of unjust power, privilege, advantage and authority along and influences people, classes, ethnics and genders; such a method is useful by informing people for challenging hostile conditions (Croswell, 1998:37; Iman, 2009: 316). The research findings are provided by the aid of deep interview, participation observation and documentary technics. The credibility, transferability, confidence and criterions are among those scientific indexes that are tried to be present throughout the whole research. The sampling mode of this research is based on paradigmatically supposition. In this mode of sampling, by following a process of gradual selection, the researcher, during compilation of data, will add new cases to the older samples according to current changes in the research scheme. These cases which have been selected at engendered occasions are momentous instances and key informants on the research subject. By this method, 27 key informants were interviewed to arrive at theoretical saturation. Key informants or newsy gatekeepers are native and involved people in smuggling in boundary region of Marivan. The Grounded theory method” was utilized for data analyzing. GTM is a special methodology based on explanatory – constructional foundations which was invented and expanded by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss in 1967. In this method, data is coded in three stages of coding (open, pivotal, and selective coding). During these three steps, sensitive concepts, significant and core categories will be revealed. Discussion of Results & Conclusions As it is summed up in our model, it can be admitted that due to the perceptions and explanations of research participants, although markets result from restriction and reduction in the oldest modes of smuggling phenomenon, they have indirectly continued it in new and several modes because of various problems such as: intricate and dissuasive bureaucracy, vulnerability and inefficiency of interior surveillance system of markets, situational disorder and out-structural oppression. As it is demonstrated in the model, finally the findings emphasize the changed effects of smuggling phenomenon on its constitutive factors. In other words, informal actions of smuggling phenomenon that is now current in borders and boundary markets of Marivan, reinforce its formation and genesis contexts. So this makes it harder for markets to achieve one of their vital goals, that is, eliminating and deleting smuggling completely. In the end, various out–structural oppression such as: Organizational and ecological and livelihood makes it possible for smuggling phenomenon to be maintained in different changeable modes and this phenomenon subsequently reproduces its own former continuative conditions

Investigating Emotional Orientation of Two Generations toward Parents and its Socioeconomic Determinants

Introduction Generations are one of the most important forces of change in societies so that as long as new generations emerge, new values and norms emerge inevitably. Iran has experienced great socioeconomic and cultural changes during recent decades. Generations must not be viewed just as a challenge to solidarity of society. From a functional view, dynamics of generational succession may be considered as a mechanism through which society finds its balance between stability and change. Mannheim believes that without generations there would not be any changes in society. In the eye of Mannheim and Comte social changes emerge in the hand of new generations. It is in the modern era that the changing orientations of generations emerge more eminently. Relative to pre-modern era, in modern period social changes occur more rapidly, widely and intensively (Giddens, 1990). Furthermore in spite of pre-modern time - in which children marry as soon as they attain puberty-children experience a new period of adolescence which is defined by more social mobility, and mostly getting away of family. In a developing society like Iran in which modernizing forces have caused great socioeconomic changes; the youth are a big part of population so that it has one of the youngest age structures all over the world; in less than three decades has experienced immense events such as revolution and war, the study of generations’ values sounds to be necessary. In the present study we investigate the emotional orientation of two generations toward their parents. For this we follow four purposes: 1- Description of emotional orientation of individuals toward parents, 2- Investigation of the effect of value orientation of emotional orientation across two generations. 3- Investigation of the relationship of structural dimension of generational relations and emotional orientation of generations. 4- Investigation of the relationship of functional dimension of generational relations and emotional orientation of generations. 5- Examination of the influences of socio-economic variables on emotional orientation of generations toward parents. In this study we distinct two generations according to age variable. In macro level this division is in accordance with an important event –imposed war. The formative years (Schuman and Scott, 1984) of younger generation were influenced by war consequences while the older generation managed war and directly experienced it. Materials and Method The context of research is Sabzevar city. Sabzevar is the second most populated city in Khorasan Razavi province. A population of 149327 persons was taken as the target population. A sample of 398 individuals at the age of 18-65 was selected through multistage cluster sampling. The size of samples was determined based on Cochran’s formula. The instrument is a questionnaire. The questionnaires were administered by skilled researchers. Before administering the test, the reliability and validity of the instrument was established. An analysis of pre-test showed an Alpha Cronbach of more than 0.8 for the scale. Construct validity of instrument was established by factor analysis. The amount of KMO was 0.85 and the level of Bartlette test significance was 0.99. Furthermore the face validity of the scale was confirmed by sociologists and university professors. The questionnaire was administered under uniform conditions by experienced researchers in the field. SPSS was used to determine descriptive and inferential statistics. Dependent variable: According to Bengetson's theory emotional orientation is the amount of positive feelings of individuals toward their parents. Bengetson and Roberts determined some indices for this variable including the level of feeling affection, warmness, agreement, trust and respect. Discussion of Results and Conclusions Descriptive findings and the sample features can better be specified in terms of the following figures and factors: 1. Sex: 47 % are male and 53% are female 2. Employment: 47.2% are employed and 46.5% are unemployed 3. Place of birth: 80.7% are born in cities and 15.6% are born in villages 4. Average age: 35.5 5. Average years of education: 11.4 Univariate hypothesis testing showed that independent variables including associational solidarity (r=0.24), value orientations (r=0.15), functional solidarity (r=0.36) and illness of family members (r=-0.15) are significantly correlated with emotional orientation of younger generation. Among older generation, associational solidarity (r=0.29) and functional solidarity (r=0.55) have significant relationship with emotional orientation. Results of t-test indicated that there is no significant difference between two generations in their emotional orientation scores. Multiple regression results for younger generation showed that two independent variables- value orientation and birth place- were used in the model in order and explained 23 per cent of the variance of dependent variable. This means that value orientations is the most important predicting variable for the emotional orientation of younger generation. As the value orientation is more conservative, the emotional orientation is warmer and vice versa. Furthermore, those who are born in rural area have emotionally closer relationship with their parents. Repeating this procedure for older generation indicated that just one independent variable that is functional solidarity were used in the model and explained 32 per cent of the variance of emotional orientation. These findings states that among older generation the more exchanges and reciprocities between children and parents, the stronger and warmer emotional orientation toward parents. The fact that value orientation is a predictive variable for emotional orientation among younger generation and is not for the older one may be interpreted as the sign of shifts and transformations in relationships between family generations. In transitional societies like Iran, firstly material dimension of the culture shifts and then non material aspects begin to transform that is noted as cultural lag in sociological literature. Various researches show that in Iran some orientations of younger generation including distrust, emphasizing on modern not ideal values etc have been shifted significantly compare to older generations. In present study we found out having more liberal values correlates negatively with emotional orientation toward parents among younger generation. It seems that studied society have been placed in a historical turning point in which the last domain of change is the emotional relationships in family. Although in this study there was no significant difference between two generations in their emotional orientation toward parents, however regarding the fact that value orientation is the strongest predictive variable of emotional orientation for the older generation, we expect that in the future we will observe significant difference of emotional orientation of next generations toward their parents. Finally we emphasize on a deep understanding of transitional societies conditions which normally must be equipped with a historical-sociological view. Like class position generational position has such a decisive impact on individual's conscience that they construe it natural as well as real. Most of the times previous cohorts construe new ones' values, preference, tastes and orientations as abnormal and unnatural and new generations think the same way about older ones. These may be lead to conflict across increasingly changing conditions. Psychological advices of media to solve the problem cannot be a real solution since the nature of problem is sociological and needs a sociological conscience and solution

The impact of modern education in the Ouramant region of Iranian Kurdistan: a grounded study

Ouramanat region, Kurdistan, Modern education, Change, Grounded theory, Paradigm model,