Relationship Between National and Ethnic Identities Among Iranian Ethnic Groups

In view of concerns arising from cultural and ethnic diversities in the Iranian society and their consequences, this paper, which is the result of a national research project, will discuss the relationship between national and ethnic identities among Iranian ethnic groups. According to an analytical framework based on symbolic interaction, especially the viewpoints of Mead and Blumer, the main assumption of this paper is that Iranians enjoy a multifaceted identity and there is no incompatibility among identity sources. That is, collective cultural identity of the Iranian society comes from a number of sources and due to its gradual, historical and continued nature; there is no incompatibility among those sources. Survey method and questionnaire has been used to test that assumption. The unit of study is "individual" while the unit of analysis includes 6 ethnic varieties of Iran as Kurds, Baluches, Turks, Arabs, Turkmens, and Lor people. The population was over 18 years of age and included residents of 9 big cities inhabited by those ethnic groups. Samples were chosen through multiphasic sampling method.The results show that both ethnic and national identities are simultaneously prominent among Iranian ethnic groups and there is no conflict between them. Also, there is a positive and powerful relationship among cultural and social aspects of ethnic identity, on the one hand, and cultural (and to some extent social) aspects of national identity. Of course, there is a negative relationship between their political aspects.