Globalization and Religion: Identity and Power
INAES (Institute for North American and European Studies), University of Tehran
15-16 November 2005
Abstract
Globalization and Iranian Identity
Azad Armaki
University of Tehran, Department of Sociology
taza@ut.ac.irTaghi Azad Armaki is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Tehran. He completed a PhD at Maryland University, USA. He has published several books on history of social developments, theories of sociology and Iranian modernity. He now teaches Theories of Sociology in the University of Tehran, Department of Sociology.
The main object of the paper is to show the relationship between global culture and Iranian Identity in the cotemporary era. Because the main conceptual stream has emphasized on Iranian multi-identity such as religious, national, and modern ones. It has been said that Iranian identity has divided on the above three categories because of different social and cultural events and challenges. It is true whenever the global culture has been presented by the mass media and global economy the Iranian identity has been developed. But, there are differences between development and disorientation of Iranian identity over time.
Iran as a historical society has been changed culturally by different events over period of time. We know that the way that Iranian has lived in Safavieh dynasty is different from the way people are living in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Even these two dynasties are religious and tried to make a new state and regime. Hence, we can say that the identity of Iranian has changed over time.
The question of Identity has launched in modern time. Even the people made distinctions between themselves and others (as enemy), but they did not have a clear and obvious sense of their identity. They have defined themselves by the historical events and their enemies such as Arab, Turkey, and West. But in the new social and political climates, the Iranian society and culture made a new concept of themselves. It can be said that this is a cultural definition of themselves. It has not defined in terms of its enemies and legacies. Modernity, nobilities, religiousity, nationality, and multiculturalism are its five main dimensions. Each of these dimensions presents some part of its identity. Therefore, it is not true that the Iranian society is in the process of breaking because of globalization. On the other hand, it is in the process of rich culture because of reinterpretation of itself through the new social and cultural circumstances.
To prove the above idea, we have looked at the data of the survey which we did in 1998 and 2004 in national level. Even we have done two surveys and asked the same question such as "How do you define your self: (1) Iranian, (2) Muslim, (3) and others?" The majority of the respondents have said that they call themselves as Iranian/Muslim or Muslim/Iranian.