Tendency to Iranian Nationalism among University Students
(With Emphasis on Their Ethnic Origin)
Author: Mirzaie, Seyyed Ayatollah , sayatmir@yahoo.com
Department: Sociology
University: Allameh Tabataba'i, Iran
Supervisor: Tahereh Ghaderi
Year of completion: 2011
Language of dissertation: Persian (Farsi)
Keywords:
Nationalism
, Ethnicity
, Civic Nationalism
, Religious Nationalism
Areas of Research:
Political Sociology
, Historical and Comparative Sociology
, Conceptual and Terminological Analysis
Abstract
The researcher has surveyed the nationalistic approaches using a questionnaire among a sample of Iranian students from the six ethnic backgrounds (Balouch, Turk, Persian, Arab, Kurd and Lor). The findings revealed that Iranian students have diverse approaches towards (ancient, religious, civil and state) nationalisms and ethnicism on the basis of background variables of ethnicity, religion and …. On the basis of this observation, we are not faced with a unitary nationalistic approach among Iranian students. The findings of this research indicates a very strong approach of Iranian ethnic students towards civil dimension of nationalism in proportion to other approaches, on the one hand, and it shows none of background variables, even ethnicity as a main variable of this research and the two independent variables of ethnicism and sense of deprivation have no relationship with this approach, on the other hand. This means that this very strong approach of the students towards the civil dimension of the nationalism lies beyond independent and background variables (ethnicity, religion and the like). Therefore, the most general nationalistic approach among Iranian students is civil approach. This finding is not only strongly observed within the whole research sample, but also it is observed among the students of all the six Iranian ethnic backgrounds. The findings also reveal that other Iranian nationalism approaches (ancient, religious and state) and ethnicism in relation with background variables (ethnicism, religion and the like) are representatives of difference. However, there are strength and weakness in terms of both type of the approach and the degrees of the approach among the students of 6 ethnic backgrounds (Balouch, Turk, Persian, Arab, Kurd and Lor). Discrimination sense variable also shows weak relations with each of these approaches in differ rent directions. Another finding of the research indicates a high degree of overlap between state and religious nationalism. Factor analysis reveals that these two approaches lie under one factor. Therefore, it may be concluded that the prevalent nationalistic approaches among Iranian students are: ancient, civil and religious. This means that for under study students, state approach is the same religious approach and vice versa.
