NAMEH-YE OLUM-E EJTEMAI
Year:2005 | Volume:New | Issue:24|Papers Count:13

In this paper we try to analyse one of the aspects of the collective identity discourse, in the micro and macro level, of globalization. Here, we argue both about classical sociology and post-modernist discourses. The most notable objective of this article is to specify an eclectic approach to the collective identity, both theoretical and methological wise. In this approach, globalization is regarded as a real and inevitable process in which human society is moving toward a universalistic cultural and political patterns of collective identity.

The timing of marriage and family formation affects everybody’s family life cycle. Macro-level socio-economic factors, personal characteristics and the availability of appropriate spouses may contribute to early or late marriage. The increase of age at marriage in contemporary era, on the other hand, has caused many social, economic and demographic changes. Using data from a survey of social and economic characteristics of households, carried out by Iran Statistical Centre in 2001, this study examines the factors affecting the rise of men’s and women’s ages at marriage in Iran. Data showed recent marriages take place at older ages. Educational attainment, especially at higher levels, was associated with higher ages at marriage. Urbanization, women’s participation in labor force, free choice in spouse selection, gender equity and not being a relative of the spouse showed positive relations with the age at marriage. Ethnic affiliations had negative and positive effects on the timing of marriage. Multivariate analysis showed the significant effects of duration of marriage, education, place of residence, ethnicity and kinship of spouses. The improvement of women status, emerging new occupational systems, changes in the proportions of population looking for job and marriage, the availability of appropriate spouses, and changes in norms and values related to marriage and family formation may explain these effects.

In this article we will first propose some definitions of generation gap, generation discontinuity, and generation difference, and amongst all of them, the generation gap will be emphasized as a social problem in Iran. Data shows that in both national research projects of 1379 and 1382, there are no significant mean difference between youth and older generation, as far as, the religious values, political values and social values are concerned. In some areas the mean difference among youth and older people have not been much different.

Natural disaster has deferred Iranian development processes, more than any other country in the whole world, however, there has not been much concern in policy making and research toward these national problems. One of the most important issues in relation to disaster is studying the role of people and participation of the volunteers in the actions taken against (before, during, and after) the crisis. The findings show that relief participation in Iran is majorly related to variables such as knowledge, experience, subcultural, social-economic status, and fatalistic attitudes among the people.

In this article, religious vow among the Iranian muslim will be discussed as a part of religious behavior and rituals, from the point of view of the anthropology of religion. Religious vow is not only contributing in making distinction between the roles of men and women in religious rituals but it is also playing a major role in the process of formation of the social identity among Iranian women. Vow as a voluntary action is basically genderless, but there are some vows specially attributed to and preformed by either men or women. The findings show that some variables such as socio-economic status, time and place are related to the identity formation process of women.

Food security in Iran has been a major objective of rural and, agricultural policies after the revolution. This paper investigates the relationship between agricultural development policies and food security through documentary and secondary data analysis. It is actually seeking out that to what extent agricultural policies succeeded to boost up the country’s food security both at macro and micro levels. The study showed that, however the state started notable initiatives within the framework of agricultural development policies and these policies have been particularly effective in raising a considerable part of stable agricultural products in the recent years, and the country could reach self-sufficiency in wheat in 2004 through implementing "Wheat Axial Project", but it is to be seen whether country is able to bring about a sustainable access to food for all strata of its population. In other words, while the agricultural policies could considerably raise the country’s food security at the national level, they were not able to bring about suitable circumstances of access to food at the household level, mainly because of the pre-existing sustainable inequalities in society with respect to income, wealth etc.

Social relationships occur in a certain time and space. In order for neighborly relations and various forms of communal activities to develop, except getting together in a certain location, a meaningful common denominator must exist. Physical and functional division of the space may increase or decrease the opportunities for developing relationships. Design at different scales consists of urban planning, site design and design of details can have a significant influence on people gathering in outdoor spaces. Using the results of a research project entitled "Design of Urban Passages and Social Relationships", the present paper is prepared. The research was based on both theoretical and field studies. The results of theoretical studies was compared with the conditions of Iranian society. Some results of this project about the influence of urban design on social relationships is presented in this paper.