Iranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-18471120080424Dialectic of Distinction and De – differentiationDialectic of Distinction and De – differentiation1246810.7508/ijcr.2008.01.001FAAbbasKazemiDepartment of Communication، University of TehranMohammadRezaeiDepartment of Cultural Studies, University of Science and CultureJournal ArticleAlthough the concept of wandering has not been applied popularly in Iran, it could explain many cultural phenomena. The present article first outlines the history of wandering and its used meaning. Then, it describes a form of wandering as the distinctive lifestyle of urban subordinate groups in the shopping centers. The result of this article has been obtained by employing qualitative methods and through interviews and observation. The authors believe that shopping centers create a certain lifestyle for urban middle class people through the purchase and consumption of goods. At the same time, wandering in its used meaning in Iran has formed the lifestyle of lower class groups.Although the concept of wandering has not been applied popularly in Iran, it could explain many cultural phenomena. The present article first outlines the history of wandering and its used meaning. Then, it describes a form of wandering as the distinctive lifestyle of urban subordinate groups in the shopping centers. The result of this article has been obtained by employing qualitative methods and through interviews and observation. The authors believe that shopping centers create a certain lifestyle for urban middle class people through the purchase and consumption of goods. At the same time, wandering in its used meaning in Iran has formed the lifestyle of lower class groups.http://www.jicr.ir/article_68_a3f390d88e4c41f2747bfa2f1b5f87db.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-18471120080424Modernity and HousingModernity and Housing25636910.7508/ijcr.2008.01.002FANematollahFazeliDepartment of Cultural Studies, Allameh Tabataba`i UniversityJournal ArticleThis article analyzes rural housing from a cultural point of view in the past and present. It studies housing as one of the main elements of lifestyle to understand the rural life as a whole. The author, first, studies the effects of modernity on housing culture in the areas such as modernization, rationalization, secularisation, globalization, individualization, democratization, urbanization, mediatization, commercialization and bureaucratization. Then, he describes these developments in an Iranian village which is the birthplace of the author using on ethnographical explanation. This study shows that the characteristics of rural housing which were: noncommodification, strong connection with village, being a birth place and somewhere to be nurtured, being mixed with family and historical myths and narratives, coexisting with the nature, lack of privacy have undergone charges. Therefore, we can not address them by adopting a classical approach considering village as the locus of tradition and city as the locus of modernity. The author believes that a kind of “Iranian rural modernity” has been formed in Iranian villages.This article analyzes rural housing from a cultural point of view in the past and present. It studies housing as one of the main elements of lifestyle to understand the rural life as a whole. The author, first, studies the effects of modernity on housing culture in the areas such as modernization, rationalization, secularisation, globalization, individualization, democratization, urbanization, mediatization, commercialization and bureaucratization. Then, he describes these developments in an Iranian village which is the birthplace of the author using on ethnographical explanation. This study shows that the characteristics of rural housing which were: noncommodification, strong connection with village, being a birth place and somewhere to be nurtured, being mixed with family and historical myths and narratives, coexisting with the nature, lack of privacy have undergone charges. Therefore, we can not address them by adopting a classical approach considering village as the locus of tradition and city as the locus of modernity. The author believes that a kind of “Iranian rural modernity” has been formed in Iranian villages.http://www.jicr.ir/article_69_14bfa6bb14875e45bba028a21ed38046.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-18471120080429Lifestyle and Women’s Clothing in TehranLifestyle and Women’s Clothing in Tehran65927010.7508/ijcr.2008.01.003FANafisehHamidiPhD Student of Cultural Sociology, University of TehranMahdiFarajiPhD Candidate of Cultural Sociology, University of TehranJournal ArticleThis article aims at finding different lifestyles of female clothing in Tehran. To this end, it describes women’s diverse types of clothing in different social and cultural environments. The main questions advanced in the article are about special lifestyles and logic of choosing clothes by women. The authors try to discover whether distinction, identity making or some kinds of primary functions such as protection, decoration, and chastity are considered the most important factors for women. To find answers, the authors conducted deep interviews with 40 female residents of Tehran and extracted their social positions and lifestyle in clothing. Based on these findings, the authors could distinguish nine different social types.This article aims at finding different lifestyles of female clothing in Tehran. To this end, it describes women’s diverse types of clothing in different social and cultural environments. The main questions advanced in the article are about special lifestyles and logic of choosing clothes by women. The authors try to discover whether distinction, identity making or some kinds of primary functions such as protection, decoration, and chastity are considered the most important factors for women. To find answers, the authors conducted deep interviews with 40 female residents of Tehran and extracted their social positions and lifestyle in clothing. Based on these findings, the authors could distinguish nine different social types.http://www.jicr.ir/article_70_7cbbc409ec990f19c78c75bd1e06f215.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-18471120080429Coffee Shop Youth LifestyleCoffee Shop Youth Lifestyle931157110.7508/ijcr.2008.01.004FAVahidShalchiDepartment of Cultural Studies, Institute For Social and Cultural StudiesJournal ArticleThis article has a review on the third zone coffee shop youth life style and looks forward to note the features of this group’s life style. Some of the other objective of this article are notifying the importance of different elements in life, consumption norms and the types of leisure. The results of this research shows that in this social atmosphere, post modern lifestyle features are seen as fashion, hybrid taste, interaction among local and global affairs, the importance of hobbies, consumption and the necessity of leisure. The study on this group of Iranian youth foretells how difficult. Complicated and fragile cultural policy is. Therefore, cultural affecting on the youth generation is not possible only through addrssing the values in surface.This article has a review on the third zone coffee shop youth life style and looks forward to note the features of this group’s life style. Some of the other objective of this article are notifying the importance of different elements in life, consumption norms and the types of leisure. The results of this research shows that in this social atmosphere, post modern lifestyle features are seen as fashion, hybrid taste, interaction among local and global affairs, the importance of hobbies, consumption and the necessity of leisure. The study on this group of Iranian youth foretells how difficult. Complicated and fragile cultural policy is. Therefore, cultural affecting on the youth generation is not possible only through addrssing the values in surface.http://www.jicr.ir/article_71_e2c420d928d4bf8ce0ff2ec19b371514.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-18471120080429The Youths, Body and Fitness CultureThe Youths, Body and Fitness Culture1171417210.7508/ijcr.2008.01.005FAMohammadSaeed ZokaeiDepartment of Cultural Studies, Allameh Tabataba’i University0000-0001-7134-0801Journal ArticleA recent interest in body issues on the part of academic and scientific circles should be seen as a reaction to the radical changes in relationship between body, economy, technology and society. The growth of nutrition, health and sport technologies along with the increasing importance of agency and consumerism, have turned body and embodiment into major themes in the contemporary society. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data on young boys and girls having regular sport activity, the present paper aims to reveal the relationship and the feelings they have towards their body. The findings indicate that modernity has made the youths more sensitive towards controlling and disciplining their body. Similarly, the competing discourses in public sphere (including the masculine discourse) act as major references in forming, understanding, and representing the body. In addition to reproducing traditional norms and bodily behaviors, such young boys and girls having regular sport activity, the present paper aims to reveal the relationship and the feelings they have towards their body.A recent interest in body issues on the part of academic and scientific circles should be seen as a reaction to the radical changes in relationship between body, economy, technology and society. The growth of nutrition, health and sport technologies along with the increasing importance of agency and consumerism, have turned body and embodiment into major themes in the contemporary society. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data on young boys and girls having regular sport activity, the present paper aims to reveal the relationship and the feelings they have towards their body. The findings indicate that modernity has made the youths more sensitive towards controlling and disciplining their body. Similarly, the competing discourses in public sphere (including the masculine discourse) act as major references in forming, understanding, and representing the body. In addition to reproducing traditional norms and bodily behaviors, such young boys and girls having regular sport activity, the present paper aims to reveal the relationship and the feelings they have towards their body.http://www.jicr.ir/article_72_32bb90e8976aab5298d5da10fe66f21d.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-18471120080429Cultural Minorities and Life Styles: Iranian TrendsCultural Minorities and Life Styles: Iranian Trends1431747310.7508/ijcr.2008.01.006FANaserFakouhiDepartment of Anthropology, University of TehranJournal ArticleThe Globalization accelerated the paradoxical processes of modernization by introducing the cultural homogenizations and heterogenizations: construction and deconstruction of local-communitarian identities. This is why we are facing on the one hand, the increasing of local identities and visions and on the other hand, the interference, sometimes in a conflicted way, of the latter forms with the national and global identities. In this context, the Iranian problematic is discussed by an urban anthropological theoretical approach. The main concern in this article is the everyday life styles as the most important means of the cultural identity formation and their self expressions. Social constructed space as Lefebvre put it, and Cultural Studies tradition of everyday life, have been the starting points of this paper aiming to analyze the cultural resistance phenomenon expressed in physical and bodily spaces as well as in social and intercultural relations in domains such as age, ethnics and gender. These identity schemes have been taken as minority situations when they express in a way or other, some sort of cultural or social resistance facing a dominant pattern and by this way the paper try to present some practical and applied solutions to decrease the social tensions.The Globalization accelerated the paradoxical processes of modernization by introducing the cultural homogenizations and heterogenizations: construction and deconstruction of local-communitarian identities. This is why we are facing on the one hand, the increasing of local identities and visions and on the other hand, the interference, sometimes in a conflicted way, of the latter forms with the national and global identities. In this context, the Iranian problematic is discussed by an urban anthropological theoretical approach. The main concern in this article is the everyday life styles as the most important means of the cultural identity formation and their self expressions. Social constructed space as Lefebvre put it, and Cultural Studies tradition of everyday life, have been the starting points of this paper aiming to analyze the cultural resistance phenomenon expressed in physical and bodily spaces as well as in social and intercultural relations in domains such as age, ethnics and gender. These identity schemes have been taken as minority situations when they express in a way or other, some sort of cultural or social resistance facing a dominant pattern and by this way the paper try to present some practical and applied solutions to decrease the social tensions.http://www.jicr.ir/article_73_d2ddea18f00665ce8623e36bd4e3c7c5.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-18471120080429An Image of students cultural LifestyleAn Image of students cultural Lifestyle1751987410.7508/ijcr.2008.01.007FAMohammadFazeliDepartment of Social Science, University of MazandaranJournal ArticleMost of the theories argue that the main functions of universities in the contemporary is to promote culture, to train participative citizen as well as specialists. Consumption of cultural products is one of the significant ways of promoting cultural capital and of getting prepared to accept them some intended roles. The study is to xamine, through the degree of Iranian students cultural consumption, to what extent the current degree of cultural consumption could prepare them to be active, participative, and awared citizen. Also, according to the theory of life style and intergenerational transmission of cultural capital, some insights are presented on the Future of the consumption of caltural products in Iranian society.Most of the theories argue that the main functions of universities in the contemporary is to promote culture, to train participative citizen as well as specialists. Consumption of cultural products is one of the significant ways of promoting cultural capital and of getting prepared to accept them some intended roles. The study is to xamine, through the degree of Iranian students cultural consumption, to what extent the current degree of cultural consumption could prepare them to be active, participative, and awared citizen. Also, according to the theory of life style and intergenerational transmission of cultural capital, some insights are presented on the Future of the consumption of caltural products in Iranian society.http://www.jicr.ir/article_74_ad61ab143223efbc24c7d2583be69251.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-18471120080429The concept of style of life
and its field in social sciencesThe concept of style of life
and its field in social sciences1992307510.7508/ijcr.2008.01.008FAMohammad SaeedMahdavi KaniDepartment of Culture & Communication, University of Imam SadeghJournal ArticleConcept of life style is one in social sciences which has drawn a great deal attention. But its various and relatively paradoxical use have made it ambiguous, and in the eyes of some researchers, futile. Here, first the article prodives an loxicological explanation from the concept and then addresses its conceptaul aspects. This concep is strongly interrlated with other concepts as “taste” in social sciences, what the article pursue is to explain the conceptual aspects and elements of “life style” by contrasting between calssic and modern related theories.Concept of life style is one in social sciences which has drawn a great deal attention. But its various and relatively paradoxical use have made it ambiguous, and in the eyes of some researchers, futile. Here, first the article prodives an loxicological explanation from the concept and then addresses its conceptaul aspects. This concep is strongly interrlated with other concepts as “taste” in social sciences, what the article pursue is to explain the conceptual aspects and elements of “life style” by contrasting between calssic and modern related theories.http://www.jicr.ir/article_75_d09bf41544a3365a46c9077ebb5e35c3.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-18471120080429Political Impact of ConsumerismPolitical Impact of Consumerism2312567610.7508/ijcr.2008.01.009FAFardinAlikhahLecturer of Gilan UniversityJournal ArticleThe main goal of this article is to study the outcomes of consumerism. The article mainly focuses on the political impact of consumerism. It also intends to analyze the role of television programs and advertisement to foster consumerism. Author’s basic speculation is that the rapid increase in consumerism in Iran will bring about the feeling of relative deprivation among special groups of people and eventually will lead to a decrease in political support.The main goal of this article is to study the outcomes of consumerism. The article mainly focuses on the political impact of consumerism. It also intends to analyze the role of television programs and advertisement to foster consumerism. Author’s basic speculation is that the rapid increase in consumerism in Iran will bring about the feeling of relative deprivation among special groups of people and eventually will lead to a decrease in political support.http://www.jicr.ir/article_76_fbd7939d674997cdb4692d34de8633c4.pdf