Investigating the social cleavage and the factors affecting it; Case study: Tehran
Journal Title: Journal of Applied Sociology - Year 2021, Vol 32, Issue 3
Abstract
Introduction: Rapid cultural changes resulting from the transition from tradition to modernism, the cultural onslaught of the global capitalist system, the unequal distribution of resources, the transformation of social stratification and different lifestyles, and different socializations highlight the importance of social groupings. Groupings and members’ interactions with each other give them identity and intensify the feeling of separation from other groups and more belonging to their own group. Intensifying and organizing intra-group affiliations could provide the possibility of conflict and social violence. Social cleavage is a division between individuals, institutions, and social groups rooted in their interests, values, and positions. This rupture can lead to the formation of conflicting groups and social forces that give their members a collective identity. Empirical evidence and some reports indicate the emergence of various social cleavages in our society. The present study investigates the concept of social cleavage, its dimensions, and the factors affecting it. Materials and Methods: The research method was a survey and the data collection tool was a questionnaire. The respondents were 527 citizens aged 15 to 75 years in 22 districts of Tehran who were randomly selected by the stratified sampling method and interviewed. Analysis of the data was done using SPSS software. Appropriate statistics (central and dispersion indices, analysis of variance, F and T-tests, and correlation tests) were used and the generalizability of the results was also examined. The following methods were used to ensure the validity of the questions, indicators, and questionnaires: face validity and consultation with experts, internal correlation of index elements, factor analysis to control sample adequacy, and structural validity. To assess the reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used after distributing the preliminary and the final questionnaires. Discussion of Results and Conclusions: Social cleavage in this study was measured in three stages: differences in values, group identities due to differences in values, and preparedness for confrontation. This type of assessment is the most important difference between this study and previous studies in this field. The results show that cleavage in cultural values (difference between the values of religious and secular groups) with a variance of 0.616, an average of 2.07, and the involved population of 62% is the most severe type of cleavage. The research method states that the closer the variance is to 1, the greater the cleavage intensity and the greater the possibility of its activation. In the second stage of social cleavage, if value differences are perceived as identity, cleavage would enter the inactive phase. Group identification was examined in the form of five groups: class, political, cultural, ethnic, and religious. The strongest identification is in religious identity with an average of 2.38, followed by ethnic identity (2.34). Preparation for confrontation, which means activating social cleavage, is the last stage of social cleavage. The results show that, in general, the average collision readiness among the respondents is 1.95, which means that the average readiness for the confrontation of rival groups is too high. According to the types of theoretical categories, and the conditions and population of the research in this study, various types of class, political, cultural, religious, generational, and gender cleavage have been studied. The results show that the most severe type of cleavage is the political cleavage (i.e. the cleavage between reformists and fundamentalists), which has an average of 2.22, followed by the cultural cleavage between secular and religious with an average of 2.15. Also, based on the existing theoretical foundations, factors affecting social cleavage have been studied in the form of research hypotheses. These factors include social class, relative deprivation, social satisfaction, reference group, life expectancy, need, social bond, value priorities, and alignment of social institutions. Based on Inglehart, and Giddens and Bell’s theories, the conflict between modern and traditional values is the cause of social cleavage in semi-modern societies. The results show that among factors under study, the traditional and religious factors have a strong and indirect relationship (-0.736) with social cleavage. The results show that there is a relationship between the external reference group, the level of people’s satisfaction with life and life expectancy, and the degree of social cleavage. The rest of the theoretical hypotheses of this research, namely the relationship between social bonding, the performance of social institutions, relative deprivation, lack of need, and social class with a social cleavage with different intensities have been confirmed. In general, the theoretical factors under study explain 62% of the changes in social cleavage.
Authors and Affiliations
Davood Parchami * Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran d-parchami@sbu. ac. ir Fatemeh Derakhshan PhD Candidate in Cultural Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran f-derakhshan@atu. ac. ir
Keywords
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- EP ID EP704802
- DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.22108/jas.2021.125207.1991
- Views 73
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