دکتر داریوش رضاپور

Customs play a prominent role in ethnic identity; because ethnic identity is constructed, revealed and experienced in the context and context of everyday life. Patterns of migration and accompanying social and cultural displacement lead ethnic minority groups to find ways of cultural resettlement in new places. Dealing with the cultural identity status of immigrants by emphasizing the component of customs can help to understand the mechanisms of change in identity, the state of acculturation and identification, rethinking and reconstruction of identity. In this regard the aim of research is to study the cultural identity of Lak immigrants living in Namjo district of Tehran, emphasizing the component of mourning and mourning customs.

This article is done with qualitative method. The studied community includes men and women of the Lak tribe who live in Namjo neighborhood of Tehran. The process of gathering information using the techniques of semi-structured and in-depth interviews continued until the saturation stage and finally reached 17 people who were selected using the snowball method. Thematic analysis method was used for data analysis.

The findings include 24 concepts and 6 main categories of "emphasis on the implementation of customs in the hometown”, “limitation of the conditions of the new environment”, “facilitation of participation”, “compulsion of tradition”, “strengthening solidarity" and "collectivism". From the perspective of the participants, the culture of their ethnic hometown is different from the culture of the host society. Due to being traditional, uniformity and cultural-ethnic similarity of the hometown, the challenge of identity or acculturation was not very important for them before migration and there were only small differences between the generation of parents and the generation of children in the field of choosing identity elements. In fact, with migration and change of location, they have faced ambiguities, doubts, questions and choices in the path of finding identity and belonging to the inherited culture or the culture of the host society. As social activists, they are forced to reflexivity and redefine the traditional components and sources of their identity in many situations.

The local customs and rituals of mourning and wedding as a cultural resource can play an important role in the identification and resettlement of Lak immigrants as a minority group of immigrants in the new environment and like a bridge in a symbolic way to and connect it to the hometown. In addition, reflexivity, commitment and adherence to the components of cultural identity are not the same among immigrants, and it is not possible to see an equal combination among people of the same generation or between two generations. Local-trans local identity is more dominant among the second generation than among the first generation. Although in many cases, the local cultural identity of the second generation may fade and they are not very interested in and adhere to some local customs and traditions, and they do not have much knowledge of Laki's identity; Despite this, they have the feeling of being Laki, and in general, Laki identity is a concept to which they have an emotional attachment.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the social factors affecting democratic relations in the family among married women in Andimeshk city. The research method is survey and the unit of analysis is the respondent and the level of analysis is micro. The sampling method is multi-stage clusters and the sample size according to Cochran's formula is 375 people. Data collection tool is a researcher-made questionnaire and using SPSS software for data analysis. The results showed that the level of democratic relations in the family in the respondents is relatively low and there is a significant level of inequality. There is a positive and direct relationship between the variables of religiosity, education and gender socialization with the degree of democratic relations. Regression analysis shows that 58.1% of the changes in the degree of democratic relations are related to independent variables and the variables of the degree of religiosity and the level of female education have a greater impact on the degree of democratic relations. Also the variable of gender stereotypes had the least effect on the degree of democratic relations in the family. Increasing religiosity and gender socialization increase democratic relations and greater equality of decision-making power in the family and social dimensions.

Elements of nature such as the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, water, plants, fire and mountains have always had a special value and prestige among different nations and peoples of the world; To the extent that they considered these manifestations of nature sacred and made symbols and signs for them or attributed gods to them. In ancient Iran, too, plants were highly respected and valued. This study has been done with the aim of explaining the people’s lived experience of the Konar tree in Dezful city. In this qualitative study, researcher used descriptive phenomenology method, purposeful sampling and in-depth interview technique for collecting data with 15 persons who resorted to this tree. Data were analyzed based on a seven-step Colaizzi’s model. The research findings, which are the result of interviews, include twenty concepts and three categories: "resource management", "collective solidarity" and "individual-social control". The results show that the maintenance of the Konar tree via resource management and long-term use of its therapeutic and health properties is related to its material functions, and resorting to and respecting this tree to solve some issues and problems of life that lead to collective solidarity and preservation of social order has spiritual functions.

Rituals are an integral part of any society's culture. In today's modern world, human beings are still dominated by religions and beliefs that have their roots in the distant past, and according to Karl Jaspers, human beings today are still indebted to a pivotal period in history; A period in which the ancient religions of the world emerged from the corners of the world in almost a single period and have affected our lives to this day (Jasper, 1998, p. 55). In our society, Rituals, especially mourning Rituals, are formed from pieces of ancient Iran, Islamic culture, and modern world ideas, which have a certain breadth and dynamism and affect a large part of our behavior (Moradkhani and Ghobadi, 2011, p.94). In Dezful city, every year we see rituals that carry a special meaning for the people of each nation. One of these rituals is the Kotal ritual, which is common among the Bakhtiari Tribe living in this city. The present study seeks to answer the questions in a phenomenological way: when does the historical and mythological background of this religion date back to? How is it implemented? What is the experience of people participating in this ritual? How do they understand its meaning and understanding?

The present research has utilized a qualitative approach and phenomenological method. The studied population includes 17 people who participated in this ritual between 2015 and 2019. Data were collected using the in-depth interview and purposive sampling methods. For the data analysis, the participants' statements were first recorded and implemented, then carefully listened to and studied several times by the researcher.

Findings showed that social identity is the product of interactions between different groups. Through rituals, people interact with each other and provide themselves with a fixed identity and point of reliance amid inconsistencies and beliefs, thereby obtaining a sense of identity through getting to know themselves. In this regard, the actions and rites that people perform in this ritual cause their thoughts and beliefs to be connected and aligned. It also creates a kind of social contract in which individuals, through voluntary cooperation, express their efforts to flourish their capabilities for the benefit of the organization or community. Finally, participants believe that in addition to joy and happiness, life also has sufferings and difficulties. Participation in this religion causes the formation of faith in human beings and by interpreting bitterness correctly, it sweetens it, and by leading humans to believe in the resurrection, any pain and suffering inflicted by nature or others, the Almighty God will make up for it in a different way.

The findings show that this ritual goes back to the mourning of Siavash, which is especially evident in the ritual of burying the dead. Participants experience a sense of peace of mind by standing together and guarding their social identity; accordingly, society will seek to maintain identity patterns by expanding the social space and removing social barriers and restrictions for different social strata. Despite valuing sorrow, grief, and suffering, the Kotal ritual has institutionalized social and cultural relations and connects generations, passing beliefs, rituals, and oral literature from the past to the present. Participants' behaviors, practices, and etiquettes during the ritual play a meaningful role in the participants' lives. Overally, the participation of the goal community in the Kotal ritual has a mythological-historical background. With voluntary and spontaneous participation in these rituals, participants seek to give meaning to life while seeking and identifying with their peers.  This group of people also strengthens their resilience and tolerance in the face of life's difficulties. In addition, creating unity and strengthening the spirit of solidarity is one of the social functions of individuals' participation in collective rituals and ceremonies; the continuity of Kotal ritual is the proof of this claim.

Childbearing as one of the components of demographic change is one of the topics that have attracted a lot of attention in the field of social issues. Due to the importance of demographic developments in Iran in the past decades, the current research aims to identify the factors affecting the attitude toward childbearing among the employees of Andimeshk Department of Education. As a survey research, it used a researcher-made questionnaire for data collection. The statistical population included all employees of Andimeshk Department of Education, out of which a total of 362 individuals was selected using the Cochran formula by adopting and simple random sampling. The data analysis was done using SPSS 18. The results showed a negative correlation between the level of education and the attitude toward childbearing but a positive correlation between the variables of the inclination toward material welfare and attention to maternal health with childbearing. The results of the regression analysis also indicated that independent variables account for 16.9% of changes in the attitude toward childbearing and have the biggest effect on the variables of the inclination toward material welfare and the level of education.

The financial empowerment of rural women and their participation in economic, social, cultural and political fields is one of the most important factors in achieving sustainable rural development. One of the most common empowerment projects in the form of microcredit system in Iran is Qarz Al-hasaneh funds. In recent years a new species from Iran have been formed in rural areas based on informal networks and links that are different from conventional models. This paper is to find out the efficiency of funds based on family-neighborhood relations in increasing the empowerment of women in Tang Siab district of Kuhdasht city; so a qualitative approach, snowball sampling, semi-structured and deep interviews, Participatory observation and focused group discussion with 23 people and observation were used for data collection and a total of 48 concepts and 9 categories were obtained. Results showed that formation and membership in the Fund can Lead to increase income and household savings and the share of women in the family, enhance decision-making power of women in the family and in the village, improve public opinion towards women, teamwork maintenance and continuing and to expand its lead in other issues. Therefore, the mentioned funds, by improving the economic and social situation of women, facilitate the achievement of levels of capability.

The present research has been carried out with the aim of studying women's lived experience of housewifery lifestyle in Deylam city. The statistical population of the research includes 18 women aged 22-60 residing in this city. The researchers in this qualitative study have used phenomenological approach and in-depth interview technique. According to the research results, Deylam city is a society in transition from a traditional situation to a modern one and the indices of modernity such as young women's participation and their progress are significantly seen. Results show that women understand and interpret housewifery based on their own individual and social experiences. In addition, women's responsibility and religious modeling in regard to accepting the role of housewifery and internalizing housewifery norms play an essential role. Women's level of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with housewifery is affected by the satisfaction with married life and their perception of maternal status. The index of power in family in regard to women's subjection to men in house affairs has also an important role. In the end, women draw upon various methods like continuing education, attending religious ceremonies, participating in sports clubs and family parties for their satisfaction and to enhance their lifestyle.

Citizens' rights are a set of duties and responsibilities of individuals, city and government, including political, civil, social, cultural and gender rights. So, the present study was an investigation into citizens' level of awareness of the concept of citizenship rights (a case study of citizens over 18 in Khormoj city).The survey method is through a researcher-made questionnaire. The statistical population consisted of citizens over 18 years of age living in Khormoj city in 1995. The sample size is 381 people selected by random sampling method. Validity and reliability were obtained through Cronbach's alpha and formal validity. Also, SPSS software was used to analyze the results of the research data. The results show that there is not a significant relationship between the ground variables and knowledge of citizenship rights; however, there is a significant relationship between the variables of mass media, civil rights, political rights, social rights, social participation and knowledge about citizenship rights (P <0.001) and with 99% confidence.

Trust is a fundamental element in social interaction, which plays an important role in solving social problems related to social order. Being related to the sense of security, social trust can be one of the key factors in promoting the level of security in human societies. This research was carried out in order to examine the relationship between social trust and the sense of social security. It was a survey research and used a researcher-made questionaire, the statistical population of which included citizens above 18 years old in Dezful city in 2016. 384 people were determined as the sample size using the multistage cluster sampling method. Its Validity and reliability were obtained using Cronbach’s alpha and face validity, and SPSS software was used for the analysis of the results. Stepwise regression analysis showed that the sense of social security as the dependent variable and interpersonal trust, generalized trust, trust to environment and institutional trust as independent variables were correlated. These variables were found to be the most influential factors on the sense of social security in this research. In the end, some suggestions were given in order to increase the sense of social security.