Volume 15, Issue 2 (Political researches of the Islamic world, summer 2025)
پژوهشهاي سياسي جهان اسلام 2025, 15(2): 67-96 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Ghaderi R, Shafiei E, Madani S M. The Role of Class Inequality in Undermining National Cohesion: An Analysis of Social Trends in Iran (1989–2019). پژوهشهاي سياسي جهان اسلام 2025; 15 (2) :67-96
URL: http://priw.ir/article-1-2018-en.html
URL: http://priw.ir/article-1-2018-en.html
1- PhD student in Political Science, Department of Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza Branch, Shahreza, Iran.
2- Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza Branch, Shahreza, Iran. (responsible Author) ,esmaeilshafiee@gmail.com
3- Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza Branch, Shahreza, Iran.
2- Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza Branch, Shahreza, Iran. (responsible Author) ,
3- Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Islamic Azad University, Shahreza Branch, Shahreza, Iran.
Abstract: (7 Views)
Relying on Max Weber’s theoretical framework, this study measures the impact of the three dimensions of class stratification (economic, status/parietal, and party/power) on the level of National Cohesion in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The core hypothesis posits that structural and economic inequality leads to the erosion of political consensus and identity attachment.The research adopts a Descriptive-Analytical (Correlational) approach using a researcher-made questionnaire. The statistical sample consisted of 200 respondents divided into two sharply contrasting economic groups (District 1 representing the affluent and District 18 representing the deprived in Tehran), selected via Stratified Sampling based on property values in 2019 (1398 SH). Independent variables included dimensions of the class gap (popular base, structural discrimination, social capital, and institutional trust), while the dependent variable was defined as national cohesion. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results of the statistical analysis (confirming an R2=0.48R2=0.48) indicated that the class gap generally exerts a significant negative influence on national cohesion. Specifically, the dimensions of structural discrimination (β=0.35β=0.35) and institutional trust (β=0.25β=0.25) demonstrated the strongest decaying effects on Iranians’ sense of cohesion and identity attachment during the studied period (1989–2019). These findings confirm that the emergence of inequality is not merely economic; rather, it manifests as perceived injustice (discrimination) and the erosion of regime legitimacy (trust), ultimately leading to the weakening of national unity and territorial integrity. Consequently, controlling and reducing these dimensions of the gap is vital for preserving national identity in Iran.
Keywords: Class Gap, National Cohesion, Weberian Theory, Structural Discrimination, Institutional Trust, Identity Attachment.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2024/09/16 | Accepted: 2025/01/26 | Published: 2025/06/22
Received: 2024/09/16 | Accepted: 2025/01/26 | Published: 2025/06/22
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
