National and Ethnical Identity in Kurdistan;Case Study of Economical Earning and Identity Belonging among the Working Youth in the Informal Economy of Piranshahr

This essay studies the sense of belonging to the national and ethnical identity in Kurdistan, a province in Iran, by emphasizing on the youth of town of Piranshahr. Considering identity demands and expectations, the small town of Piranshahr- in West Azarbayjan- has been indeed of high notice in recent years. The close distance of this region to Iraq has made the situation of this town even more vulnerable and complicated. This research emphasizes on the economical circumstance of the youth of the region, and particularly the existence of legal and illegal relations in trading goods with Kurdistan in Iraq. It reveals that through these links and relations, the youth of Piranshahr have improved their situations for globalization, promoted their ethnical media such as satellite and moved towards improving and developing their communal ethnical identity. The most important elements of this identity are; clothing, loyalty to their own land and ethnical nationality, adhering to ethnical rituals and cultural traditions, and especially believing in their own ethnical identity. The Kurds feel they have common cultural identity with rest of the Iranian ethnics; although they realize a distance between their Iranian identity and the political fields.