Etude anthropologique des racines intellectuelles et culturelles de la croyance aux êtres invisibles : étude de cas : croyance en l'existence des djinns chez les habitants de la banlieue ouest de Dehdash

*Problem Statement:**

Belief in invisible beings, especially jinn, is a fundamental belief in popular culture in many regions of Iran, rooted in history, myths, and people's lived experience. In the western suburbs of Dehdasht, this belief, as part of the people's worldview, plays an important role in explaining unknown phenomena and managing individual and collective fears. However, anthropological analysis of the intellectual and cultural roots of these beliefs in this region has received less attention.



**Research Objectives:**

The main objective of this research is to identify and explain the intellectual and cultural roots of the belief in the existence of jinn among the people of the western suburbs of Dehdasht. The research also seeks to examine the role of these beliefs in preserving the cultural identity and semantic system of the people of the region.



**Methodology:**

This is a qualitative study with an anthropological approach that collected its data through documentary (library study) and field (semi-structured interviews with local residents, participatory observation, and oral narrative collection) methods. Sampling was purposefully conducted and data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis.



**Key Findings:**

The results show that the people of the western suburbs of Dehdasht fully believe in the existence of jinn and have observed these creatures with a frightening awe and sometimes in the form of humans or animals. These beliefs are experienced mostly in the spring and summer and at dusk or at night. Also, these creatures are divided into two categories in the minds of the people: infidels and Muslims, and they have had different interactions with humans. Despite technological and economic changes in the region, these beliefs have remained stable and indicate the preservation of the indigenous identity and semantic system of the people. Since the 1960s, with the development of road construction and increased facilities, the sighting of these creatures has decreased.



**Conclusion:**

Belief in jinn in the western suburbs of Dehdasht is not only a superstitious belief, but is part of the semantic system and cultural identity of the people that helps manage fears and explain the unknown. Despite social and technological changes, these beliefs have remained stable and play an important role in social cohesion and cultural transmission. The present study, by providing field data, has filled the gap in anthropological studies in this area and region.

The intellectual and cultural roots of the belief in the existence of jinn among the people of the western suburbs of Dehdasht lie in the deep connection between myth, religion, lived experience, the natural environment, and the social structure of the region. These beliefs, as part of the people's semantic and identity system, are actively present in their collective mentality and behavior and are reproduced or diminished with environmental and social changes.

Finally, the present study showed that the intellectual and cultural roots of the belief in jinn in this region are the result of the interaction of mythical, religious, geographical, and social factors, and these beliefs continue to form part of the people's cultural identity, although they are undergoing transformation and reinterpretation with social and biological changes.