YOUTHS, CULTURE AND SOCIETY RESEARCH
Year:2010 | Volume:- | Issue:3|Papers Count:10

The purpose of the present research is to survey the degree of religious commitments among the youth of Ahvaz. As the research instrument, a religion - survey questionnaire about Muslims was administrated based on the model of Kalarck and Stark. It was added by a few questions on the status of religion in the society, which were answered by the youth on their doorstep. The research was conducted on a sample of 814 Ahvazian people aged between 18 to 29, drawn using multiple - phase random sampling. The extracted data was analysed using SPSS software.The findings of the research show that the aspects of religious beliefs and attitudes among the youth is stronger and according to Likert’s spectrum was between 4 (agree) and 5 (Strongly agree), while the aspect of religious observance is lower and close to average.Regarding the gender factor, girls are of high score than boys in all aspects of religious commitment. In addition, as the youth stated, the main reason for their escape from the religion is their poor living status, the economic problems of the county, and their being not satisfied with the officials.

To investigate and explain alienation is one of the main concerns of sociology of youth in contemporary Iran. Sociology tries to study its different dimensions so as to offer a scientific analysis of the nature and causes of alienation, various effects and consequences of alienation, social patterns of alienation (based on sex, age, religion and etc.), alienation among particular social groups (youth, teachers and etc.), and shapes and aspects of alienation (institutional, cultural and etc).Measuring the level of youth alienation is considered one of the research sectors of alienation. Researchers employ different tools to survey various dimension of alienation. Among them, theoretic model of Meddi, Kohasa and Hoover (1979) simultaneously considers two parts of alienation: a. four forms of alienation including powerlessness, a sense of lacking identity, meaninglessness, lacking adventures; b. five theme of alienation including, self-alienation, alienation from job, alienation from family, alienation from social relations and alienation from social institutions. Comprehensiveness of the model of Meddi et al is a motivation for the present survey research which aims at testing and validating the first alienation questionnaire in Iran. The research data is gathered from 300 youth. It will be analyzed using the methods of descriptive statistics (one-variable and two - variable), and inferential statistics (t-test, coefficient, factor analysis).

The main purpose of the present article is to study the relationship between the change across generations and social identity among the youth in the city of Saqiz. In so doing, we have focused on the effects of globalization process on the youth’s social identity structure, and the nature of generation shift. Empirical levels of the research include level of generation shift and relations with the parents, level of social identity and friendship spaces, and level of globalization process and influence of media. In accordance with them, Ronald Inglehart’s theory of cultural shift and Manuel Castells’ theory of network state serve as theoretical framework of the research. The method of the research is qualitative. Data gathered using deep interview technique with 60 youth. According to the research findings, although the difference between generations is limited to cultural-social fields and particularly to the normative levels, social identity of the youth today is floating, inconsistent and incoherent. Its elements are the lack of power lessness, model lessness and precedent, and objection.

The present article is a survey to the influence of family on the formation of gender identity of the girls. The research data is drawn from a population of 384 girl student of the University of Payam-e Noor, Jahrom branch which is gathered by random sampling.The research findings are indicative of a correlation between the variables of gender discrimination, division of labour with in the family, power pyramid in family, socio - economic status, and the variable of (traditional/ modern) gender identity. The more gender discrimination, the more traditional the division of labour with in the family, more traditional power pyramid, and the lower socio - economic status, and consequently the more traditionally formed identities of girls. The coefficient in the research is 0.78. This means that the independent variables explain 78% of the variation of the (dependent variable) of gender identity.

Since most scenarios in the Lorestan province are centered around kinship relationships and marriage patterns among the youth based on cultural, economic, social and traditional features, and since they reflect the social facts about the traditional society of Lorestan, study of this subject is considered as an opening prospect to represent its social relations and criterion.The present research, based on the representational theory and the theory of anthropological interpretation, tries to identify the role of the Lor youth in kinship and marriage structures of the Lor ethnicity, and to determine their patterns based on the above mentioned four movies which reflect social facts.

The present article is investigating the basic question on what definition the girl students offer to their identity in the transitional society of Iran. Critical studying of the research literature, especially emphasizing Anthony Giddens views on modernity, and individual and social identity in the modern age, resulted in suggesting the general hypothesis that weakening the traditional patterns and structures in the transitional society of Iran, girls try to define nontraditional identities for themselves moving towards nontraditional identity - making sources.The hypothesis was tested on a sample of 389 girl students of the University of Gilan Through survey method.According to the research findings, it seems that the girls of our society are trying to redefine nontraditional social identities relying on nontraditional identity- making sources such as education, job and financial independence, as they move from traditional social identities, already defined by patriarchal family.

The process of changing in the names of people can reflect the process of social and cultural changing in a social system. The present research being a case study on naming the children in the city of Tehran, compares the values among post - revolution generations. A sample population of 400 was selected by multiple-phase cluster sampling. Investigating the influence of historical period, sex, and living area on the change in the values of post-revolution generations, we studied the names. Results of the investigation showed that there were more Islamic names used for naming men than women. During the period of (Islamic) revolution, children mainly were named with Islamic names while in the reform period of western names were dominant. Moreover, the children in southern parts of Tehran are named with traditional Islamic names whereas in northern parts most people choose modern Iranian names.