Middle East Critique最新文献

{"title":"Iran’s Demographic Transition and Its Potential for Development","authors":"Mohammad Mirzaei, Rasoul Sadeghi","doi":"10.1080/19436149.2023.2270347","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2023.2270347","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:Over the past half-century, Iran has experienced unprecedented demographic transition. With a population over 85 million, Iran’s population growth recently has declined below one per cent per year, compared with nearly four per cent in the 1980s. This phenomenal decline is the result of social developments along with the re-introduction of a family planning program, which progressively brought the total fertility rate (TFR) down to below-replacement level since 2000. That is, from around seven children per woman in the mid-1980s–and despite the reversal of population policies toward pronatalist since 2010–the total fertility rate had decreased to 1.7 children per woman in 2021, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic shocks. Life expectancy at birth has tripled in the last century (1920-2020) from 25 to 75 years. There have been important changes in the age structure of Iran’s population, with the under-15 population decreasing from 40 per cent in 1996 to 20 per cent in 2021. In contrast, the working-age population (ages 15 to 64) has increased substantially to over 70%, indicating that Iran has entered a ‘demographic window of opportunity’. Accompanied by rising levels of educational attainment among both men and women, this demographic window has the potential to create socio-economic opportunities for Iran over the next three decades, provided that adequate economic conditions, public policies and youth employment are prepared.Key Words: age structure transitiondemographic windoweconomic developmenteconomic policiesIran AcknowledgmentThe authors gratefully acknowledge valuable comments and editing by Prof. Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Notes1 Julian Bharier (Citation1968) A Note on the Population of Iran: 1900–1966, Journal of Population Studies, 22 (2), pp. 273–279.2 Mahdi Amani (Citation1996) A Historical Outlook at the Trends in Birth and Death Rates and the Identification of the Stages of Demographic Transition in Iran, Journal of Population, 13–14, p. 73.3 Statistical Center of Iran (1986–2016) Results of the National Census of Population and Housing 1986, 1996, 2006, 2011, and 2016 (Tehran: Statistical Center of Iran).4 Rasoul Sadeghi, Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi, and Saeedeh Shahbazin (Citation2020) Internal Migration in Iran, in: M. Bell, A. Bernard, E. Charles-Edwards & Y. Zhu (eds), Internal Migration in the Countries of Asia (New York: Springer International Publishing), pp. 295–317.5 Hassan Saraie (Citation1997) The First Phase of Demographic Transition in Iran, Journal of Social Sciences, 9–10, p. 61.6 Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi, ‎ Meimanat Hosseini-Chavoshi, Majid Koosheshi and Mohsen Naghavi (Citation2005) Trends and Emerging Issues of Health and Mortality in the Islamic Republic of Iran, In: United Nation (eds). Emerging Issues of Health in Mortality in the Asia and Pacific Region, p. 154.7 Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-S","PeriodicalId":44822,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Critique","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135617748","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urbanized Rural Women: A Study in Rural Areas of Gilan, Isfahan, and Semnan Provinces","authors":"Sohelia Alirezanejad, Nafiseh Azad","doi":"10.1080/19436149.2023.2267768","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2023.2267768","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:Considering the changing circumstances of Iranian rural women’s lives, do they still fulfill traditional roles? Have their lifestyles and expectations of themselves changed? To answer these questions, this long-term anthropological research was conducted in seven villages in three different and diverse provinces: Gilan, Isfahan, and Semnan. Our findings showed that some female roles in the villages have been eliminated or shifted to men due to developmental interventions. Women do not consider themselves in charge of the family’s economic activities. Instead, they tend to share the values of middle-class urban homemakers. They have pushed to abandon some of their traditional economic production roles, and consequently, they have lost access to financial resources and the public arena of the village. In a sense, they might have lost their bargaining power after some developmental interventions.Key Words: Iranrural developmentwomen AcknowledgmentsWe would like to express our sincere gratitude to the men and women in these seven villages who always welcomed us to their communities over the years. They kindly answered our questions and familiarized us with their situation.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 Iranian Population Indexes between Demographic indicators of Iran over time (1956–2016), Statistical Centre of Iran, Available online at: https://bit.ly/3HlPE98, Accessed May 14, 2022.2 H. Soroushmehr, M. Azami, N. Mehregan, & A. Yaghobi Farani (Citation2011) Investigation of Socioeconomic Status of Rural Women and Effective Factors on its Improvement (Case Study: Hamedan County), Rural Research, 1(1), pp. 141–163.3 H. Soroushmehr, M. Azami, N. Mehregan & A. Yaghobi Farani (Citation2018) The Role of Government Investments in the Sustainable Quality of Rural Life, Research & Rural Planning, 7(2), pp. 63–77.4 S. Moshiri, M. Mahdavei, & M. Sadegh Olyaye (Citation2009) The Impact of Literacy and Labour of Women in the Rural Households’ Income (A Case Study: The Divandareh Town, Kordestan Province), Geography and Development, 7(14), p. 71.5 F. Pasban (2006) Economic and Social Factors of Rural Women in Iran (1967 to 2004), Agricultural Economics and Development, 53 (14), pp. 153–176.6 F. Dadvarkhani. (Citation2006) Rural Development and Women’s Work Challenges in Iran, Geographical Researches, 53(38), p. 182.7 S. Alirezanejad & F. Banihashem (Citation2012) Gender and Development: A Glimpse on Demographic Changes in Iranian Rural Areas, Iranian Social Development Studies, 4(2), 81–93.8 E. SamAram (Citation2002) Re-socialization of Rural Women in the Process of Economic Development (Tehran: Office of Rural Women, Ministry of Jihad Agriculture), pp. 384–385.9 S. Sheibani (Citation2020) The Prominent Role of Women’s Employment in Reverse Migration to Villages Available online at: https://bit.ly/3Ho770V, accessed January14, 2023.10 S. Moshiri, M. Mahdavei, & M. Olyaye (Citation2009) The Impact ","PeriodicalId":44822,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Critique","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135616226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Lasting Impact of Trump’s ‘Deal of the Century’ on the Question of Palestine","authors":"Ibrahim Fraihat, Basem Ezbidi","doi":"10.1080/19436149.2023.2261082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2023.2261082","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:In 2017 US President Donald Trump launched the ‘Deal of the Century’ (DoC) to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although Trump is no longer in office, the impact of the DoC lingers and will continue affecting future approaches to the conflict and its resolution. This article argues that the Trump DoC profoundly impacted the colonial order in Palestine, destroying further the illusion that a just settlement addressing the plight of the Palestinians could be reached. The DoC’s impact has affected three significant areas: the vision of a resolution, the approach to conflict resolution, and the venue where the conflict occurs. It helped shift the vision from two-state solution to none, significantly undermining the approach that was based on negotiation and third-party mediation, and assisted in creating a new regional versus international venue for the conflict.Key Words: Deal of the centuryIsraelIsraeli-Palestinian conflictPalestineTrump Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 See Mounir Akash (Citation2013) The right to sacrifice the other, America and genocide. (Beirut: Dar Riad Al-Rayes) [in Arabic].2 See Robert Freedman, ed., Israel and the United States: Six Decades of US-Israeli Relations, (Westview Press, 2012). See also Khaled Elgindy. Blind Spot: America and the Palestinians, from Balfour to Trump. Brookings Institution Press, 2019.3 Yasser Arafat ‘may have been poisoned with polonium,’ BBC News, November 6, 2013, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24838061. Accessed on August 21, 2023.4 Noam Chomsky (1999) Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel, and the Palestinians (London: Pluto Press).5 Edward W. Said (2001) The End of the Peace Process: Oslo and After (Vintage Books).6 Naseer Aruri (Citation2003) Dishonest Broker: The Role of the United States in Palestine and Israel Publisher (South End Press).7 Rashid Khalidi (Citation2014) Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle (Beacon Press).8 United States Department of State (n.d.) The Abraham Accords Declaration. United States Department of State. Available online at: https://www.state.gov/the-abraham-accords, accessed on January 23, 2023.9 See the full plan online at: Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People. Trump White House Archives (January 2020). Available online at: https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Peace-to-Prosperity-0120.pdf, accessed on Aug. 23, 2023.10 Tariq Dana and Ali Jarbawi (2022) Whose Autonomy? Conceptualising ‘Colonial Extraterritorial Autonomy’ in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Politics, 43 (1), p. 107.11 Ilan Pappe (2020) The Steal of the Century: Robbing Palestinians of Their Past and Future, The Arab World Geographer, 23 (1), p.9.12 Ibid.13 Patrick Wolfe (Citation2006) Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native, Journal of Genocide Research, 8 (4), p. 387–409. See also on s","PeriodicalId":44822,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Critique","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135728601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Theory of Uneven and Combined Development and the Sociopolitical Transformations in Syria and Libya","authors":"Faruk Yalvaç, Hikmet Mengütürk","doi":"10.1080/19436149.2023.2271761","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2023.2271761","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:This article explores the constitutive impact of the ‘international’ on the sociopolitical transformations in Syria and Libya through the lens of the theory of Uneven and Combined Development (UCD). The conventional and numerous critical analyses of Syrian and Libyan sociopolitical change suffer from a Eurocentric and stagist understanding of development. This paper argues that development problems can be better conceptualized with an interactive framework made possible by the UCD theory. In this context, we focus on how the expansion and consolidation of capitalism through the dynamics of UCD have concretely shaped the process of sociopolitical transformation in Syria and Libya to shed light on how the international and the local have articulated to produce the socioeconomic and political outcomes in these two states. We conclude by arguing that the theory of UCD provides an alternative conceptualization in explaining the specific development trajectories in both countries.Key Words: DevelopmentLibyaSyriaTrotskyUneven and Combined Development AcknowledgementThe authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and editors of the journal for their valuable feedback and constructive comments on an earlier version of this article.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Notes1 See Justin Rosenberg (Citation2006) Why Is There No International Historical Sociology?,European Journal of International Relations, 12(3), pp. 307–40; (2010) Basic Problems in the Theory of Uneven and Combined Development. Part II: Unevenness and Political Multiplicity, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 23(1), pp. 165–189; (2013) The “Philosophical Premises” of Uneven and Combined Development, Review of International Studies, 39(3), pp. 1–29; (2020); Results and Prospects: An Introduction to the CRIA Special Issue on UCD, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 34(2), pp. 146–63; (2022) Debating Uneven and Combined Development/Debating International Relations: A Forum, Millennium, 50(2), pp. 1–37.See also, Alex Callinicos & Justin Rosenberg (2008) Uneven and Combined Development: The Social-Relational Substratum of 'the International'?:An Exchange of Letters, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 21(1), pp. 77–112; Jamie Allinson & Alexander Anievas (2009) The Uses and Misuses of Uneven and Combined Development: An Anatomy of a Concept, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 22(1), pp. 47–67; Alexander Anievas & Kerem Nişancıoğlu (2015) How the West Came to Rule: The Geopolitical Origins of Capitalism (London: Pluto Press); Sam Ashman (Citation2010) Capitalism, Uneven and Combined Development, and the Transhistoric, in Mark Rupert & Hazel Smith (eds) Historical Materialism and Globalization, pp. 183–96 (London: Routledge); Neil Davidson (Citation2009) Putting the Nation Back into ‘the International', Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 22(1), pp. 9–28; Davidson (Citation2018) The Frontiers of Une","PeriodicalId":44822,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Critique","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135779966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Historical Overview of Development’s Impact on Rural and Urban Governance in Iran","authors":"Mostafa Azkia, Hossein Imani Jajarmi","doi":"10.1080/19436149.2023.2268881","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2023.2268881","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:The constitutional revolution in 1906 was the beginning of a new era for Iran. A national parliament was established for making laws that established modern institutions such as city and village councils and mayors over the decades. Urban governance was renewed and the land reforms in the 1960s transformed rural governance, changed landlord– peasant relations and reduced the traditional authority of village headman (kadkhodas) in village administration. The 1979 revolution introduced a new kind of local governance, Islamic councils for governing cities and villages. This article discusses the main changes and challenges of local governance in Iran by using theoretical concepts of dependent development. The changing pattern of authority and penetration of state bureaucracy through the creation of several rural and urban organizations before and after the Revolution of 1979 is discussed. The article also explains how the establishments of these rural and urban institutions have helped to increase the domination of the state officials within both cities and villages.Key Words: BureaucracycentralismdevelopmentgovernanceIran Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 Fernando Henrique Cardoso & Enzo Faletto (Citation1979) Dependency and Development in Latin America (Berkeley: University of California Press).2 John Foran (Citation1999) Fragile Resistance: A History of Social Transformations in Iran, From the Safavid Era to the Years Following the Islamic Revolution [Persian translation by A. Tadayon] (Tehran: RASA Institute for Cultural Services), p. 288.3 Hossein Mahdavi (Citation1970) The Pattern and Problems of Economic Development in Rentier States: The Case of Iran, in: M.A. Cook (ed.), Studies in Economic History of the Middle East from the Rise of Islam to the Present Day, p. 258 (Oxford: Oxford University Press).4 Mohsen Modir Shanehchi (Citation2000) Centralism and Underdevelopment in Contemporary Iran, p. 361 (Tehran : RASA Institute for Cultural Services).5 Ibid, p. 31.6 Homa Katouzian (Citation1993 (Political Economy of Iran, vol. 2. [Persian translation by M. R. Nafisi and K. Azizi], pp. 4–53 (Tehran: Papirus Publications).7 Ali Asghar Shamim (Citation1992) Iran in Ghajarid Era: 13th Century to the First Half of the 14th Lunar Century, p. 223 (Tehran: Elmi Publications).8 A. S. Malikof (Citation1979) The Establishment of Reza Khan Dictatorship in Iran [Persian translation by S. Irani], p. 66 (Tehran: the Pocket books Company).9 Fred Halliday (Citation1979) Iran, Dictatorship and Development [Persian translation by M. Yalghani and A. Tolou], p. 24 (Tehran: Elm Publications).10 Foran, op. cit., p. 339.11 Ervand Abrahamian (Citation1998) Iran Between Two Revolutions [Persian translation by A. Golmohammadi and M. A. Fatahi], p. 541 (Tehran: Nashr-e Ney Publications).12 Katouzian, “Political Economy,” p. 225.13 Jahangir Amouzgar (Citation1996) The Rise and Fall of Pahlavi Dynasty [Persian","PeriodicalId":44822,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Critique","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135884036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Power Struggle over ‘Muslimness’: Reification, Securitization, and Identification","authors":"Jérémy Dieudonné","doi":"10.1080/19436149.2023.2270346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2023.2270346","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractThis paper questions the apparent hostility between Iran and Saudi Arabia and highlights its discursive construction. It explores the centrality of ‘Muslimness’ in both countries’ discourses and how it both shapes and is shaped by their opposition. At the same time, it seeks to uncover how these discourses construct a specific regional and ‘Muslim’ dynamic. To do so, the paper draws on theories from both security and nationalism studies. The application of the theoretical framework was carried out over the 2010-2020 period through a discourse analysis of both primary and secondary sources. It is highlighted that Saudi Arabia resorts to a sectarian perspective, merging the ‘Muslim’ category with a ‘Sunni’ one, while Iran eludes the sectarian dimension and centers on the struggle against oppression and ‘arrogant powers.’ The paper concludes that, in the struggle over the definition of ‘Muslimness,’ both parties invest this label with different, but not opposing, attributes. While Saudi speeches express a closed and exclusive ‘identity’ defined by their understanding of religion and in direct opposition to Shias, Iranian speeches express an inclusive ‘identity’ based on ‘Muslimness,’ which is largely defined by the struggle against oppression.Key Words: IdentificationIranMuslimnessSaudi ArabiaSecuritization Disclosure StatementThe authors declare there is no Complete of Interest at this study.AcknowledgementsThe author would like to thank Elena Aoun, Thierry Balzacq and Christophe Wasinski for their comments and suggestions on previous versions of this article.Notes1 See Paul Vallely (Citation2014) The Vicious Schism between Sunni and Shia Has Been Poisoning Islam for 1,400 years - and it's Getting Worse, The Independent (February 19). Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/the-vicious-schism-between-sunni-and-shia-has-been-poisoning-islam-for-1-400-years-and-it-s-getting-worse-9139525.html, accessed April 29, 2022; Adam Taylor (Citation2016) 5 facts about Sunnis and Shiites that Help Make Sense of the Saudi-Iran Crisis, The Washington Post (January 5). Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/01/05/5-facts-about-sunnis-and-shiites-that-help-makes-sense-of-the-saudi-iran-crisis/, accessed April 29, 2022.2 See Vali Nasr (Citation2007) The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future (New York: W.W. Norton); Nathan Gonzalez (Citation2009) The Sunni-Shia Conflict: Understanding Sectarian Violence in the Middle East (Mission Viejo: Nortia Press); Helle Malmvig (Citation2014) Power, Identity and Securitization in Middle East: Regional Order after the Arab Uprisings, Mediterranean Politics, 19(1), pp. 145–148.3 Asad A. Ahmed (Citation2010) The Paradoxes of Ahmadiyya Identity: Legal Appropriation of Muslim-ness and the Construction of Ahmadiyya Difference, in Navida Khan (ed) Beyond Crisis: Re-evaluating Pakistan (Abingdon: Routledge), pp. 273–314; Mohamed Sulaiman (Citation2","PeriodicalId":44822,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Critique","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135993329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anthropology of Water in Varzaneh, Iran","authors":"Dina Taghipour Ziksari, Jalaledin Rafifar","doi":"10.1080/19436149.2023.2266866","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2023.2266866","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractWater quality/quantity crises may make water a hazard source. This study investigates the coded meaning that water crisis causes, how water insecurity impacts mental and physical health, and ways of dealing with water scarcity. However, this cultural meaning contradicts community-level governmental decisions and the unequal water distribution of Iran’s Zayanderud River. Consequently, there is a water crisis in the small city of Varzaneh, and it induces undesired individual-level feelings, such as local concerns that cancer is associated with the deterioration of the Gavkhouni Wetland into which the Zayanderud drains. At the household level, water shortage problems are causing population emigration and/or adoption of different jobs and cropping styles. On a larger scale, public protests are responses to the deteriorating natural environment. Generally, the region’s hierarchical and sectarian social organizing forms contradict. In Varzaneh, the sectarian form views environmental hazards as a higher priority. As a hierarchical form, the government emphasizes foreign enemies and defines the water problems in Varzaneh as not being a top priority. The outcome is social tension over water supply at both small and large scales.Key Words: AgricultureHierarchyIranSocial organizationWater crisisWater management AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank all the participants in this study as they enabled this research journey by helping us to obtain new and deeper insights into the subject. Also, the authors are grateful to Mr. J., the key informant of the study, for selfless guidance and introductions to invaluable individuals. Furthermore, the authors express their gratitude to their families for their support in the ups and downs of this research project.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 I. Mohammad Jani & N. Yazdanian (Citation2015) The Analysis of Water Crisis Conjecture in Iran and the Exigent Measures for its Management [in Persian], Ravand Journal, 21 (65–66), pp. 123–124.2 K. Milton (Citation1996) Environmentalism and Cultural Theory: Exploring the Role of Anthropology in Environmental Discourse (London: Routledge), p. 178.3 V. Strang (2004) The Meaning of Water (New York: Berg).4 Eslami, “Zayanderud: Past, Present and Future,” pp. 123–124.5 J. Murchison (Citation2009) Ethnography Essentials: Designing, Conducting and Presenting Your Research (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass), p. 4.6 Ibid, p. 42.7 For more on ethnographic research methods, see U. Flick (Citation2009) An Introduction to Qualitative Research (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications), p. 169.8 Ibid, pp. 118–119.9 N. Hajian (Citation2016) Comprehensive Reference of Zayanderud; Studying the Reasons Behind Dried Zayanderud from Technical Perspective and National and International Rights Views (Isfahan, Khorasgan Branch: Islamic Azad University), p. 38 [in Persian].10 Wutich & Brewis. “Food, Water, and Scarcity,” p. 445.11 Ibid,","PeriodicalId":44822,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Critique","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135758915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analysis of Social Capital Trends after Iran’s Islamic Revolution","authors":"Gholamreza Ghaffari","doi":"10.1080/19436149.2023.2260535","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2023.2260535","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractContemporary Iran has undergone many small and large transformations at the structural, process and agency levels. This article attempts to present a picture of social relations in Iran after ther 1979 Revolution by using the construct of social capital and its ups and downs. The evidence presented in this article shows that at times conditions have improved and steps have been taken to strengthen social capital, for example in the years 1998–2005, 2010 and 2013, when moderate governments were in office, the conditions and atmosphere of optimism were strengthened and the fields of economics, politics and social interactions became more prosperous. However, none of these conditions have continued. Promises made have not been fulfilled and, more importantly, negating the past, ignoring the efforts made, not allowing accumulation, and not building the ladder of social progress are all contributors to the decline of social capital in Iran.Key Words: GovernmentIranJusticeParticipationSocial CapitalTrust AcknowledgementsI feel it is my duty to express my utmost gratitude to the respected professor, Dr. Mustafa Azkia of Tehran University, who provided the opportunity to compile and publish this article. Also, I am extremely grateful to Dr. Alireza Mohseni Tabrizi and Dr. Kush Gorji Sefat in the Department of Sociology at Tehran University. They read earlier versions of the manuscript, and their constructive comments were of tremendous help for improving it.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.Notes1 Mostefa Azkia & Ahmad Firousabadi (Citation2006) The Role of Social Capital in the Creation of Rural Production Associations: A Case Study of the Karkheh Dam Watershed Basin, Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies, 15(3), p. 296.2 Emile Durkheim (Citation2013) The Division of Labour in Society,’ trans. by W. D. Halls; ed. & intro. by S. Lukes, p. 178 (London: Palgrave Macmillan).3 Alexis De Tocqueville ([1840]/2000) Democracy in America, trans., ed. & intro. by Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop, p. 486 (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).4 Robert D. Putnam (Citation2007) E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty-first Century The 2006 Johan Skytte Prize Lecture, Scandinavian Political Studies, 30(2), p. 137.5 Hilde Coffé & Benny Geys (Citation2006) Community Heterogeneity: A Burden for the Creation of Social Capital? Social Science Quarterly, 87(5), p. 1055.6 Behrooz Hadizonooz (Citation2005) Poverty and inequality of income in Iran, Social Welfare Quarterly, 4(17), p. 187. [in Persian].7 Ibid.8 Robert D. Putnam and Kristin A. Goss (Citation2002) Introduction, in: Robert D. Putnam (ed) Democracies in Flux The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society, p. 18 (New York: Oxford University Press).9 Hadi Zonooz, “Poverty and inequality of Income in Iran,” p. 187.10 Organization of Management and Planning (Citation2003) Economic Performance Report of the Third Program, p. 16 (Teh","PeriodicalId":44822,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Critique","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135146694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Poverty and Deprivation Problems in Post-Revolutionary Iran","authors":"Moosa Anbari, Sedigheh Piri","doi":"10.1080/19436149.2023.2263827","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2023.2263827","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:This article examines both the positive and negative aspects of the performance of various governmental poverty elimination institutions and organizations during forty years of the Islamic Republic (1980–2020). Statistics and data show that after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, primarily due to the subsidy for essential goods and the support system based on cash subsidies, extreme poverty decreased dramatically. However, the persistence of relative poverty in society continues to be noticeable, primarily due, after 2010, to international sanctions–and their economic impact–imposed on Iran over its nuclear program. In general, the negative economic factors have reduced the effect of poverty alleviation plans. In addition, weakness in policy coordination among different institutions and programs of poverty eradication and no political will to eliminate the causes of poverty by turning to a sustainable pattern of development also have contributed increasing poverty.Key Words: Iranpovertypoverty eradicationsustainable development AcknowledgmentsWe would like to express our appreciation to Professor Mahmoud Ghazi Tabatabai and Professor Mostafa Azkia for their thoughtful criticisms and helpful suggestions.Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) (1992) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3–14 June.2 2 United Nations General Assembly Conference (2015) Transforming our World: The 2030, Agenda for Sustainable Development, 25 September.3 See further Imam Ruhollah Khomeini (Citation1999) Collection of Works of Imam Khomeini (Tehran: Center for Organizing and Publishing the Works of Imam Khomeini).4 Ahmad Ashraf & Ali Banuazizi (Citation2014) Social Classes, Government and Revolution in Iran translated into Persian by Sohaila T. Farsani, 3rd ed. (Tehran: Niloufar), p. 108; and Hossain Azimi Arani (Citation1992) Underdeveloped Circuits in the Iranian Economy (Tehran: Ney Publishing).5 Mohadeseh Safshekan (Citation2021) National Report on Poverty and Inequality in Iran: Between 2001 and 2017 (Tehran: Social Security Organization Research Institute), p. 79.6 Azimi Arani, Iranian Economy, p. 92.7 Farshad Momeni (Citation2007) Iran's Economy in the Period of Structural Adjustment (Tehran: Naghsh and Negar), pp. 113–146.8 Safshekan, National Report on Poverty and Inequality in Iran, p. 188.9 Zahra Shahidi & Zahra Kaviani (Citation2021) ‘poverty in 2020’ (Tehran: Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare), p. 9.10 Ibid.11 Ibid, p. 11.12 People deprived of at least one aspect of housing (access to water, access to sanitation, adequate living space, sustainable housing and security).13 Azadeh Shahab (Citation2021) ‘Housing poverty’ (Tehran: Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare) p. 10.14 Infant mortality rate, under-5 mortality rate, maternal mortality rate from pregnancy and childbirth complications, and life expectancy at birth.15 Zahr","PeriodicalId":44822,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Critique","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135146636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"One Thousand and One Cities: Socio-Spatial Patterns and Challenges over a Half-Century of Urbanization in Iran","authors":"Hamidreza Rabiei-Dastjerdi","doi":"10.1080/19436149.2023.2256144","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2023.2256144","url":null,"abstract":"Since 1970, Iran has experienced dramatic environmental, political, and socioeconomic changes and events. All these events have impacted and shaped the urbanized landscape in Iran during the past 50 years. This article provides an overview of those factors influencing the socio-spatial patterns during this half-century of urbanization and highlights the current challenges that confront Iran’s cities.","PeriodicalId":44822,"journal":{"name":"Middle East Critique","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135208091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}