AbstractsAnthropology

Multiethnic nature of Iranian society has been the object of research in social science during recent years. Iranian society has been viewed from two perspectives. One, not agreed upon by many scholars, denies multiethnic nature of Iranian society, while the other insists on its multiethnic characteristic. The second perspective, however, seeks to describe ethnicity in Iran in terms of linguistic, religious and racial variations, as viewed by scholars. In contrast, drawing upon the anthropological perspective and conceptualization of ethnicity, this research has attempted to study ethnicity as a matter of subjective perception of objective cultural and other differences in context of Golestan province in north of Iran. The present study seeks to investigate ethnicity and ethnic relations with special reference to Turkmen group. However, the objectives of the present study are as follows: a) To study of historical basis of ethnic group formation, the major ethnic groups as perceived by the people in Golestan province and the criteria people use to designate ethnic groups as dominant or minority. b) To study the criteria people use to define ethnic group membership and to categorizing people in different ethnic group and resultant ethnic identities. c) What is the nature of ethnic enclosure (locality and residential segregation, endogamy, and clarity of group definition) among ethnic groups in urban areas? d) To understand of the perception of individuals with regard to their own and other ethnic groups as revealed in stereotypes, social distance, ethnic liking, ethnic differences and affinities, etc. e) What is the influence of structural disparity on patterns of interethnic perception of individuals with regard to dominant and minority groups in plural society? f) What is the nature of ethnic interactions, especially of the Turkmen and how it is influenced by the structural disparity (in terms of dominant and minority groups) ethnic segregation and interethnic similarities and differences?%%%References p.194-205, Appendix p.206