The Political and Cultural Impacts of Globalization on Iranian Ethnic Groups (A Field Study on Azeri, Arab, Kurd and Baluch Students)
Subject Areas : Research in Theoritical PoliticsKeywords: Globalization ethnicity Kurd Arab Baluch Azeri politics culture,
Abstract :
Globalization is one characteristic of the world today. On the other hand, ethnicity, under some conditions, provides an excuse for political tensions. There are various views on the effects of globalization on ethnicity. Some theoreticians believe that as globalization grows, identity of ethnic minorities undergoes the assimilation of the values of the mainstream culture, which in turn is absorbed into the dominant global culture. However, others believe that globalization helps increase political self-awareness of ethnic groups. Overall study of these views show that political aspect of ethnicity is a function of different domestic and world factors, and is not of the same situation in all countries. In the present article, we study political and social situation of four Iranian ethnic minorities- Azeri, Arab, Baluch and Kurd. This is a field study. The data is gathered using questionnaires and interviews. Findings of the research show that while globalization, culturally, has led to a decrease in strictness of minorities over their cultural features- except language, it, politically, has resulted in a rise in their awareness and demands. Hence, to manage the demands, the government is expected to take felicity measures, including: promoting democratization, creating equal opportunities for political and economical participation of all groups, lowering the center-periphery distance through fair budget, and encouraging the national will for employment and removing deprivation.