Journal of Iranian Cultural Research

Journal of Iranian Cultural Research

Studying the dialectic of lived experience of alienation and phenomenal perception of the institution of science; a case study of students at Sharif University of Technology

Document Type : Scientific Research Manuscript

Authors
Ebrahim Ekhlasi 1
Mohammad Mirzaee 2
1 Associate professor of sociology, Faculty of Sicial Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’I University, Tehran, Iran
2 MA in Youth Studies, Faculty of Sicial Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’I University, Tehran, Iran
10.22035/jicr.2026.3544.3767
Abstract
This study explores the lived experience of alienation among students at Sharif University of Technology and examines its relationship to their phenomenological perception of the university as an institution of science. Using purposive sampling, 19 students were selected based on inclusion criteria, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews following the Claise phenomenological method. Three key themes emerged to represent students’ experiences of alienation: (1) rejection and withdrawal from prior academic choices as gateways to later reflective actions, (2) feelings of contempt toward wasted opportunities and costs, and (3) the prioritization of separation over persistence. The findings indicate that alienation manifests through the interplay between intra-university relations and extra-university contexts. These external contexts include the pressures of the entrance exam system, the commodification of academic success, market-driven field selection, and essentialist notions of elitism. Furthermore, students’ perception of the university as a scientific institution is articulated through four phenomenological constructs: (1) Sharif as a mixer of calculability and market rationality, (2) Sharif as a launching pad to the external world, (3) Sharif as an agent of instrumental socialization, and (4) Sharif as a destroyer of identity pluralities. The study concludes that the alienation experienced by students reflects structural and epistemological divisions within Iran’s higher education system. It recommends developing critical and interdisciplinary frameworks to bridge the gap between the humanities and the sciences, thereby fostering a more cohesive academic environment and reducing student alienation.
Keywords
Alienation
Sharif University of Technology
Phenomenology
Scientific Scoialization
Institution of Science

Subjects

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  • Receive Date 02 May 2025
  • Revise Date 22 June 2025
  • Accept Date 09 July 2025