Entezari Zarch, Athareh; Zareei Mahmoodabadi, Hassan

doi:10.22035/jicr.2027.3630.3845

"Go Eat Grass!": Social experiences of vegetarians in Yazd; A qualitative study

Articles in Press

Document Type : Scientific Research Manuscript

Authors

Athareh Entezari Zarch ¹

Hassan Zareei Mahmoodabadi ²

¹ MA in General Psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

² PhD in Counseling, Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

10.22035/jicr.2027.3630.3845

Abstract

This study examines the lived experiences of vegetarians in the city of Yazd. Yazd, as a traditional city with an emphasis on family cohesion and meat-centered dietary patterns, is a context in which vegetarianism functions beyond a nutritional choice and becomes a social identity accompanied by cultural-familial tensions and negotiations. Given the limitations of qualitative studies on vegetarianism in Iran and traditional cities, this research was conducted with the aim of understanding the challenges, identity processes, and social consequences of vegetarianism. With a qualitative approach and thematic analysis method, purposive sampling was conducted and 21 vegetarians over 18 years of age with at least three months of sustained adherence were selected. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with informed consent and then analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings are summarized in five main themes: 1) Representation of the vegetarian body as an insufficient body (protein deficiency, severe thinness, reduced fertility); 2) Multilayered nature of lived experience (family pressure, social mockery, practical limitations, and occasional acceptance by educated groups); 3) Imposition of identity through negative labeling (“grass-eater,” “affected”) and psychological pressure; 4) Becoming vegetarian (transition from ethical doubt to identity stabilization and relationship improvement); 5) Lifestyle management strategies (stability of beliefs, situational flexibility, awareness-raising, plant-based cooking skills, and concealment). Finally, vegetarianism in Yazd is a dynamic and in-between experience that faces cultural resistance but simultaneously provides an opportunity for personal growth, ethical-environmental commitment, and relationship reconstruction. Participants consider it a philosophical and identity-based choice. The findings emphasize the necessity of raising public awareness, creating plant-based lifestyle infrastructures, and conducting comparative studies in Iranian cities.

Keywords

vegetarianism

social experiences

culture

Yazd

qualitative study

Subjects

Culture and Daily life

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