Sociological Analysis of Identity Concepts and Social Belonging in Contemporary Persian Novels
Subject Areas : Iranian Sociological Review
1 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, ShQ.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Identity, social belonging, contemporary Persian novel, sociology of literature, cultural changes,
Abstract :
Sociology of literature, as one of the new and effective approaches in the criticism and analysis of literary texts, especially novels, plays a key role in explaining the representation and social structures of contemporary societies. The contemporary Persian novel, due to its extensive narrative space and ability to portray individual and collective experiences, has provided a rich platform for recognizing and analyzing fundamental concepts such as identity and social belonging. Using the theoretical framework of the sociology of literature, this article has attempted to examine the discourses of identity and sense of belonging in contemporary Persian novels in an analytical and systematic manner. The findings indicate that contemporary Persian novels not only reflect the complex social, cultural, and historical crises and contradictions of Iranians, but also reflect the processes of redefining and reconstructing individual and collective identity in the context of current political and social changes. Also, social belonging, as the psychological and structural connection of characters with family, ethnicity, gender, and society, has become one of the main axes of confronting critical ruptures and tensions in literary texts. This research shows that the sociological analysis of contemporary Persian novels has a prominent ability to represent the process of modernization, the tension between traditional and modern identity, and the processes of social belonging/alienation, and thus effectively contributes to a deeper understanding of the conditions and developments of contemporary Iranian society.
1. Aghasizadeh Sherbaf, Mohammad. (2009). “Human in Contemporary Novels (Regarding Ten Great Contemporary Iranian Novels)”. Master’s thesis, University of Zanjan, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of Iran.
2. Arta, Seyyed Mohammad. (2018). The Backstreets of Novels (Sociological Criticism of Contemporary Novels). Tehran: Seyyed Mohammad Arta Publications.
3. Ardalani, Shams al-Hajiyeh; Kazeruni, Seyyed Ahmad; Moslehi, Safoora. (2017). “Review and Analysis of Social Themes in Iranian Novels (from 1991 to 2011)”. Sabq Pejoezhi Quarterly, No. 37, Fall 2017.
4. Barakat, Behzad. (2007). Identity and its reflection in contemporary Iranian literature. Tehran: Research Institute of Culture, Art and Communication.
5. Tajfel, Henry (quoted by Vaziri, Masoud). (2013). Social identity and intergroup relations. Tehran: Samat Publications.
6. Tamimdari, Ahmad; Notash, Maryam; Kazeminasab, Malihe. Sociology of literature; Application of the sociological imagination model in the analysis of Forough Farrokhzad's poems.
7. Jamshidi, Ali. (1403). “Analysis of the Narrative Structure of Fariba Vafi’s Novels with Sarah Mills’ Approach”. Tarbiat Modares University.
8. Heydari, Farzaneh; Khorasani, Mahboobeh; Fereydoun, Vahida. (2016). “Sociological Criticism of Bahram Bayzai’s Play Four Boxes”. Journal of Literary Criticism and Theory (Literary Studies), Volume 1, Issue 1, Pages 139–161.
9. Ronaghi-Notash, Mahnaz; Farhangi, Ali Akbar. (2011). “From Realism to Modernism, the Lonesome Crowd in Contemporary Persian Novels Relying on Human Relations”. Journal of Media Studies, Volume 6, Number 12, Spring 2011.
10 Rosenhan, D. L. and Seligman, Martin. (2006). Principles of Social Psychology. Translated by Yahya Seyed Mohammadi. Tehran: Arjomand Publications.
11. Sharafi Khaboshan, Mohammad Reza. (2014). “Sociological Criticism of the Bookless Novel”. Scientific Journal.
12. Shahryari, Mansooreh. (1403). “Analysis of the story Autumn is the last season of the year based on women's writing tradition”. University of Tehran.
13. Sadeghi, Hassan et al. (2009). “Dimensions of Identity from a Sociological Perspective”. Quarterly Journal of Cultural Studies and Communication, No. 11.
14. Asgari, Asgar. (2009). “Social Criticism of Contemporary Persian Novels with Emphasis on Ten Selected Novels”. Literature Month Book, No. 28, August 2009.
15. Gholam, Mohammad. (2004). “Sociology of Contemporary Persian Novel”. Journal of the Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Tarbiat Moallem University, Nos. 45-46.
16. Frey, Brian. (2005). An Introduction to Research Methods in Social Sciences. Translated by Nik Gohar et al. Tehran: Ney Publishing House.
17. Farzaneh, Heydari; Khorasani, Mahboobeh; Fereydoun, Vahida. (2016). “Sociological Criticism of Bahram Bayzai’s Play Four Boxes”. Journal of Literary Criticism and Theory (Literature Studies), Volume 1, Issue 1, pp. 139–161.
18. Kateb, Mohammad Reza. (2014). “Fragmentation and Identity Instability in Mohammad Reza Kateb’s Novels”. Journal of Iranian Literary Studies.
19. Castells, Manuel. (2001). The Age of Information (Three Volumes), Volume 2: The Power of Identity. Translated by Afshin Khakbaz. Tehran: Tarh-e-No Publishing House.
20. Mohammadvali, Ali and Naeimi, Ehsan. (2015). Discourses of Identity in the Contemporary Persian Novel. Tehran: Research Institute of Culture, Art and Communications.
21. Malakouti, Bita and Ghahreman, Sasan. (2014). “Social Identity at the Crossroads of Migration: A Study of Hybrid, Intermediate and Disruptive Identities in the Novel Gessel”. Quarterly Journal of Cultural and Social Studies, University of Guilan.
22. Moeedfar, Javad. (2006). Identity, Globalization and Iranian Youth. Tehran: Ney Publishing.
23. Mozaffari, Solmaz. (2013). “A Study and Analysis of Personality Psychology in Ten Prominent Contemporary Persian Novels (Significant Novels Before the Islamic Revolution) with Emphasis on the Archetypes of the Awakening of the Inner Hero (Jung’s Archetypes).” PhD Thesis, Payam Noor University.
24. Yousefi, Reza. (2004). Sociology of Individual and Collective Identity. Tehran: Publications of the Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies.
25.Johnson, R. (1997). “Sociological Perspectives on Identity”. Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 23, pp. 45–69.
