JOURNAL OF THE FACULTY OF LITERATURE AND HUMANITIES (KHARAZMI UNIVERSITY)
Year:2004 | Volume:12 | Issue:44|Papers Count:7

The first aim of the article is to compare the epistemological bases of sociology and social thoughts not being absolutist, in focusing on one aspect and not considering the possibility of bilateral effects, one could recognize four types of distinctions between epistemological bases of sociology and social thoughts, among which the most distinctive one seems to be paradigm differences. The article illustrates this issue by discussing the principle paradigm assumptions of the two types of sociology and social thoughts. The second purpose of the article is to raise and to develop a question about the possibility of the enhancement of sociology. That is, in an era when epistemological paradigms and their distinctions are discovered and known could it be possible to go beyond some framework mythologies and to design the scientific-rational knowledge of the future more creatively and selectionally? Following this proposal seems to require a kind of self-confidence, that is more evident in the sociology homeland, the West. nevertheless, the potentialities and capacities of Muslims knowledge may be more suitable for creating such an innovation and synthesis. This idea is put down briefly at the end of the article in order to open a view for the meta-sociology studies in the future.

During recent years all societies, including Iranian society, have experienced radical changes in their macro and micro levels of social life. These changes have attracted the attention of researchers and policy makers to the study of the stable and changeable aspects of social life. Longitudinal studies are the most important methods applied by Western scholars for the study of social changes. These studies are recently frequently used in the form of longitudinal surveys and panel studies on social attitudes. Longitudinal studies have not been applied quite often in Iran. Thus, Iranian social researchers rarely have discussed the methodological issues of longitudinal studies. The aim of this article is to introduce and to discuss longitudinal studies, their different types, their capabilities, and their importance for social researchers and policy makers. It could be a starting point in the discussions and debates on the methodological issues of longitudinal studies among Iranian scholars and methodologists and could contribute in the literatures of the issue.

The results of an empirical research based on a sample of the citizens of Tehran, Mashhad, and Yazd indicate that they hold negative attitudes towards the distributive, legal and opportunity dimensions of political equality in political atmosphere of Iran, though their attitudes toward the participatory dimension is positive. The citizens also feel negatively with regard to political equality in total. Secondly, a strong and positive relationship between political equality and the legitimacy of the state was found. The mentioned relationship implies that the legitimacy of state is positively affected by the commitment of the state officials to the principles of equality and citizenship. The renovation of the different dimensions of the state legitimacy (including political loyalty, political commitment, the approval of the rightness, and the idea that constitutional law fulfills public interests) depends on peoples attitudes toward the renovation and improvement of the situation with regard to four dimensions of political equality (participatory, distributive, legal, and opportunity equalities).

Cyberspace as a new, widespread and, attractive kind of virtual spaces plays a more important role in social interactions in Iran day by day. However, its impact on the individual and social life has been a controversial issue. The article examines the impact of cyberspace on familial identity based on the data collected from a sample of university students. It begins with a more common definition in cyberspace and continues by discussing the relationship between cyberspace and social identity. Based on the theoretical framework it is hypothesized that the experience of the cyberspace has a negative effect on familial identity. Familial identity is measured by a scale developed based on Tajfel's social identity theory. The method for testifying the hypothesis is a cross sectional quasi-experimental one. The questionnaire filled by 365 students of Tehran University who were selected in a quota non-probability manner and divided into two groups: internet users (180) and non-users (185). Applying Mann-Whitney and multiple regression techniques our data did not find any significant relationship between internet usage and familial identity.

Organizational displacement is recognized as a kind of organizational change. Teacher Training university of Tehran has experienced a long-term displacement from Tehran to Hesarak in Karaj. This shift which started 27 years ago is still in process. Therefore the spatial gap between two sites of the university in Tehran and Karaj has generated some organizational problems. This article mainly explores some of the most important problems experienced by the organizational actors, including students, professors, employers and the managers of the university because of the segregation of the campuses. The impacts of the separation on the efficiency of the university and on its inter-organizational relationships are discussed, subsequently. The data based on which the issue is discussed include interviewing with 95 professors and 25 directors of the university administrations, reviewing the relevant official documents, and the authors own experiences as a member of the academic staff of the University.