https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/ Iranian Journal of Anthropological Research en daily 1 Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_107172.html *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. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_107218.html This study provides a phenomenological analysis of the mechanisms through which social cohesion is produced and reproduced among followers of the Yarsan (Ahl-e Haqq) faith in the city of Karaj. The significance of this research lies in the fact that the Yarsan community—one of Iran’s religious-cultural minorities—has historically faced patterns of marginalization, structural discrimination, and symbolic exclusion. For this group, social cohesion is not merely a normative value but a vital mechanism for cultural continuity, collective resilience, and the reproduction of religious identity. The core question guiding the study is how the Yari religion, as a belief, ritual, and ethical system, institutionalizes cohesion within the community, and how Yarsan adherents experience and interpret this cohesion in their lived reality.The theoretical framework draws on classical and contemporary approaches in the sociology of religion, including Durkheim’s theory of solidarity, Parsons’ analysis of the action system, Geertz’s interpretive symbolism, and Berger’s social constructionism. Additionally, Chalabi’s concept of social concord provides a localized lens for examining cohesion within religious-cultural collectivities. This framework enables a multi-dimensional analysis of cohesion across semantic, functional, and cultural-spatial levels.Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative design informed by van Manen’s interpretive phenomenology. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 17 Yarsan adherents in Karaj, selected through purposive sampling. Data analysis followed Colaizzi’s seven-step phenomenological method, complemented by field observations in jamkhaneh (Yarsan ritual spaces) and communal gatherings. The analytic process yielded 45 initial codes, 35 secondary codes, and six overarching thematic categories that illuminate the major dimensions of social cohesion within the Yarsan community.Findings indicate that the first major theme is charismatic authority and spiritual hierarchy. Religious leaders (pirs, sayyeds, elders) play a foundational role in transmitting ritual traditions, regulating social relations, establishing symbolic order, and reinforcing group cohesion. Their authority is rooted in symbolic capital, charismatic legitimacy, and historical trust, producing an affective-spiritual bond between leaders and followers.The second theme is peace-oriented disposition and social tolerance. Yarsan teachings emphasize equality, nonviolence, reverence for nature, and historical patience, which collectively constitute core ethical markers of Yarsan identity. This disposition not only organizes interpersonal relations but generates an “ethical mode of living” that strengthens internal solidarity and functions as a cultural strategy of resistance against discrimination.A third theme, ritual-centrism and event-based cohesion, highlights the centrality of collective rituals—such as jam, dhikr, sama, votive offerings, kalam recitation, and fasting periods—in creating shared emotions and reaffirming collective identity. These rituals perform the Durkheimian function of generating “moral energy” and sustaining the collective conscience.The fourth theme is ethical duty-orientation. The concept of duty manifests at three levels: responsibility toward the transcendent truth, responsibility within the religious structure (the pir–murid relation), and responsibility toward the community and humanity. Duty-orientation strengthens the normative dimension of cohesion and motivates individuals to participate in communal action, solve collective problems, and maintain ritual traditions.The fifth theme is intragroup social capital, expressed through trust networks, shared identity, communal support systems, and the practice of yarbakhshi—giving without expectation of return. In the urban context of Karaj, this social capital operates as an adaptive mechanism for coping with external pressures and enhancing collective resilience.The final theme, ritual cohesion and identity reproduction, is enacted through sacred spaces (jamkhaneh and the household), symbolic elements (tanbur music, prayers, recitations), digital social networks, and the active role of elders. Modern communication technologies further facilitate intergenerational transmission of values, helping sustain cohesion in contemporary settings.Overall, the study demonstrates that social cohesion among the Yarsan is a multi-layered and dynamic phenomenon grounded in the interplay between meaning, structure, and practice. Beyond its social functions, cohesion operates as an active strategy of survival and meaning-making, enabling the community to preserve its collective identity amidst historical challenges. Ultimately, the findings reveal that the Yari religion reproduces a distinctive pattern of cultural-ritual cohesion that adapts traditional elements to modern contexts. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_107388.html Infertility is recognized as a significant global health challenge. However, reducing this phenomenon to a purely biological issue neglects its intricate social and cultural dimensions. Aiming to move beyond purely medical and biological perspectives, this study provides a qualitative exploration of the lived experience of infertility among couples in the city of Yazd, Iran. The primary objective is to understand how infertile couples confront and interpret their condition, and to trace their transition from the initial identity crisis they face to a state of proactive agency.The study employed a qualitative approach using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The participants consisted of individuals who had become parents through Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART). Using purposive and snowball sampling, 30 individuals (comprising 25 women and 5 men), aged between 28 and 53, were selected, and data were collected through in-depth interviews. Trustworthiness was ensured through established criteria, including member checking and peer debriefing. The analysis of the participants' life experiences revealed that their initial confrontation with infertility involved an attempt to identify the problem, coupled with the shock of medical diagnosis and a simultaneous profound distrust of physicians and the medical system. Subsequently, participants entered a period of painful experience characterized by a form of hidden grief—a mourning for the potential child and associated parental experiences that is not socially acknowledged. This disenfranchised grief often leads to emotional distress and a feeling of bodily inadequacy. To cope with their circumstances, couples frequently adopted strategies such as concealment and social isolation to evade intrusive questions and often presenting a facade of voluntary childlessness. Furthermore, due to prevailing gender stereotypes, participants perceived infertility predominantly as a female issue, thereby imposing an uneven social burden on women, even in cases that were attributed to male infertility factors. Despite enduring various social pressures accompanied by periods of inactivity, despair, and passivity, participants gradually renewed their psychological and financial resources, ultimately adopting a proactive approach towards assisted reproductive technologies. This cyclical treatment pathway, characterized by emotional and social challenges, highlighted the participants’ active agency. Ultimately, with renewed motivation, they made a reflexive decision to resume treatment and actively redefine their narratives surrounding parenthood. Overall, the findings indicate that the treatment path for infertile couples is not linear but a dynamic cycle of encompassing action, failure, pause, and resurgence. Initially confronted with a lifeworld crisis that disrupted their established identity frameworks, participants progressively endeavored to reconstruct their lives. They evolved from victims of circumstance into active architects of their own parenthood narratives, transitioning from a state of involuntary childlessness to one of elective parenthood. The policy implications of this research advocate for a conceptualization of infertility as a bio-social phenomenon that necessitates multifaceted interventions and social empowerment initiatives to support couples throughout their infertility journey. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_107959.html Objective: The Sassanian period was an era of flourishing medical knowledge in ancient Iran, which, under the patronage of its kings, achieved a systematic and advanced structure. Medicine in this period, with the establishment of unique educational and therapeutic centers such as Gondishapur, realized significant accomplishments. This research seeks to re-examine the therapeutic and healthcare system of the Sassanian era from the perspective of medical anthropology, aiming to understand the cultural, social, and religious mechanisms of this system. Using a comparative-analytical method based on library research, it seeks to answer the following question: What was the structure of the Sassanian healthcare and therapeutic system with respect to the concepts of medical anthropology, and how did various cultural factors shape the experience of illness and the response to it?Findings: The research findings indicate that the Sassanian medical system can be considered a salient example of a complex and multi-layered cultural system grounded in the specific Zoroastrian worldview of that culture. In this paradigm, illness was not merely a biological phenomenon but was generally perceived as the result of demonic forces and malevolent agencies. This cosmological conceptualization provided a conceptual map for the organization, legitimization, and hierarchization of the entire medical field, to the extent that this system can be described as being based on an externalizing and person-centered etiological model. However, in conjunction with internalizing empirical-anatomical mechanisms, it created a dynamic fusion of religious and scientific knowledge. The Sassanians were well aware of the role of natural factors in causing diseases, yet this empirical understanding did not negate belief in supernatural causes. Evidence such as talismanic vessels, amuletic seals, and magical texts demonstrates the active efforts of individuals to regain a sense of control and attribute meaning to suffering within the very framework of that worldview, albeit often on the margins of official institutions. The contradiction between the state's criminalization of magic and its widespread use by the populace testifies to the dynamism and polyvocality of this cultural system. This phenomenon is precisely what is referred to as the "fluidity of boundaries" between medicine, religion, and magic.Conclusion: All these characteristics laid the groundwork for the formation of a model of medical "pluralism" in this period, giving rise to various medical schools with different functions and approaches for treating diverse illnesses. The specialized division of labor into branches such as mantra-medicine, knife-medicine (surgery), and herb-medicine (pharmacy) reflected the value priorities of this society, in which spiritual healing occupied the apex of the hierarchy. By possessing diverse specializations, professional-social hierarchies, and a bio-cultural approach to health, this system presented a complex model of interaction between "normative" medicine and "folk" medicine, although the boundaries between normative and folk medicine were flexible and, in practice, constituted two inseparable poles. By moving beyond descriptive historiography, this research, through the lens of medical anthropology, demonstrates that a deep understanding of the history of medicine necessitates moving past a mere description of achievements and institutions and delving into the layers of meaning, power relations, and lived experiences that give life and significance to a medical system. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_108170.html The pictorial carpets of southeastern Iran represent one of the most distinctive manifestations of Iran’s indigenous artistic heritage. Over time, these textiles have evolved beyond their decorative function to serve as cultural media that reflect the beliefs, rituals, and social experiences of local communities. Despite their historical and artistic significance, comprehensive studies exploring the relationship between contemporary cultural and social transformations and the visual structures of these carpets remain limited. A study of the pictorial rugs of Zabol , Iran, shows that these works are not only the product of the weavers' technical skills, but also a reflection of the cultural, social, and historical structures of the region.The rugs of Zabol were formed in their own geographical and cultural context ; a context that has long been a meeting place for various civilizations, beliefs , and cultural movements. In such a context, carpet weaving, as a feminine and indigenous art, has become an arena for expressing the innermost feelings , values, and collective beliefs of the people. The patterns and colors used in these rugs are in fact a visual language. Through which the connection between daily life , local rituals and cultural developments can be recognized. Analysis of the visual and technical structure of the region's carpets shows that pictorial motifs appear in two main formats: first, traditional motifs that have their roots in ancient beliefs, ritual symbols and the natural environment and are represented in the form of geometric and simple forms; second, pictorial motifs that are the result of the influence of contemporary cultural trends and interaction with other arts, especially Iranian painting and naturalism of the Qajar and Pahlavi periods.This study aims to analyze the influence of indigenous cultural and social changes on the formation of symbolic themes within the pictorial carpets of southeastern Iran . The central research question addresses how these transformations have affected the evolution of visual composition and aesthetic principles in regional carpets. This is a fundamental study employing a descriptive–analytical method with a qualitative–interpretive approach. Data were collected through library research, field observations , and semi-structured interviews with local weavers, designers, and carpet merchants, and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding techniques .The findings indicate that these pictorial carpets embody a dynamic interaction between tradition and transformation : while maintaining geometric structures and conventional motifs, they incorporate elements that reflect contemporary narratives and shifting cultural values . Colors and themes have gradually transitioned from ritualistic and mythological symbolism toward more individual and social expressions. Consequently, the study concludes that the pictorial carpets of southeastern Iran are not merely remnants of an enduring local tradition but living representations of the region’s cultural identity and social vitality across time. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_108204.html The ritual of cooking “Ash of the Thirteenth of Safar,” accompanied by dough figurines, is one of the ancient and gradually fading traditions of the people of Naqneh in Borujen County, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. It is performed to ward off misfortune and the inauspiciousness associated with this day. The aim of this study is to explore the meaning and symbolic function of this ritual—comprising the cooking of ash (a traditional thick soup) and the making of dough figurines as apotropaic objects—within the folk culture of Naqneh. It seeks to demonstrate how this custom, as an integrated system of meaning, reproduces beliefs related to averting misfortune, dispelling inauspiciousness, and fostering social cohesion. During the study, the question is raised as to what connection exists between cooking ash reshteh (noodle soup) and crafting dough figurines. The research population includes ritual noodle soups and dough figurines in Iran, from which the Ash of the Thirteenth of Safar in Naqneh and the two dough figurines (male and female) placed within it were purposefully selected and qualitatively described and analyzed. The findings, based on fieldwork and documentary research, indicate that the “Ash of the Thirteenth of Safar” ritual in Naqneh is a prominent example of Iranian food-symbolic rites that simultaneously serve religious, symbolic, and social functions. The dough figurines act to repel misfortune and illness; the participation of young girls and the release of the figurines into water symbolize purity and fertility; and the collective gathering to cook and distribute the ash reinforces social solidarity. This ritual goes beyond being merely a ceremonial dish and reveals the interaction between religion, culture, and society. Documenting it is essential for preserving intangible cultural heritage and for understanding how communities confront inauspiciousness and social crises.Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. It is performed to ward off misfortune and the inauspiciousness associated with this day. The aim of this study is to explore the meaning and symbolic function of this ritual—comprising the cooking of ash (a traditional thick soup) and the making of dough figurines as apotropaic objects—within the folk culture of Naqneh. It seeks to demonstrate how this custom, as an integrated system of meaning, reproduces beliefs related to averting misfortune, dispelling inauspiciousness, and fostering social cohesion. During the study, the question is raised as to what connection exists between cooking ash reshteh (noodle soup) and crafting dough figurines. The research population includes ritual noodle soups and dough figurines in Iran, from which the Ash of the Thirteenth of Safar in Naqneh and the two dough figurines (male and female) placed within it were purposefully selected and qualitatively described and analyzed. The findings, based on fieldwork and documentary research, indicate that the “Ash of the Thirteenth of Safar” ritual in Naqneh is a prominent example of Iranian food-symbolic rites that simultaneously serve religious, symbolic, and social functions. The dough figurines act to repel misfortune and illness; the participation of young girls and the release of the figurines into water symbolize purity and fertility; and the collective gathering to cook and distribute the ash reinforces social solidarity. This ritual goes beyond being merely a ceremonial dish and reveals the interaction between religion, culture, and society. Documenting it is essential for preserving intangible cultural heritage and for understanding how communities confront inauspiciousness and social crises. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_108395.html Purpose: This study examines indicators of the emergence of power and domination mechanisms in pre-governmental societies of southwestern Iran during the late fifth millennium BCE, with a focus on mortuary and bioarchaeological data from the Tol-e Chega Sofla. Methodology: Utilizing interdisciplinary sciences alongside archaeological, bioarchaeological data and theoretical frameworks (notably Antonio Gramsci’s concept of cultural hegemony) related to cultural hegemony. It aims to explore the potential reinterpretation of certain mortuary practices, cranial modifications, and possible ritual sacrifices as processes of meaning-making and social order production and reproduction. This approach seeks to uncover the gradual processes of social organization, legitimacy, and cultural consent at the Tol-e Chega Sofla. The main objective of the research is to reconstruct the likely mechanisms through which death rituals, the sacralization of the body, and sacrificial practices became symbolic instruments for producing social status and ritual acceptance during the transitional phase of pre-state societies. Within this framework, the burial of “Khātoūn” is analyzed not as a symbol of absolute authority, but as a focal point of cultural and gendered meanings—potentially acting as a mediating element in the emergence of hegemonic logic in southwestern Iran. Analyzing this burial and distinguishing it from other graves, as a case study, allows the formulation of hypotheses regarding the roles of the body, gender, and ritual in the formation of early logics of legitimacy.Findings: The study’s findings are as follows: 1) Field data from the Tol-e Chega Sofla cemetery excavations, including grave structures, spatial organization of burials, arrangement of grave goods, and evidence related to sacrificial rituals, based on published documentation. These data were analyzed to identify recurring patterns, ritual distinctions, and signs of symbolic organization that structured the mortuary order. 2) Bioarchaeological data, including evidence of intentional cranial modification, trauma, and biological characteristics of the burials, were examined to explore the relationships between the body, ritual, and social status. These data were particularly used to assess hypotheses regarding bio-social differentiation and the role of the ritualized body—especially the female body—in the representation of power and sanctity. 3) Data on animal sacrifice rituals, including the types of animals, their health status, placement, and spatial relationships with human burials, were analyzed to understand the symbolic functions of sacrifice in regulating violence, producing meaning, and reproducing ritual consent, drawing on interpretive frameworks from the anthropology of ritual and sacrifice. 4) Integrated archaeological and bioarchaeological findings were interpreted within the theoretical framework of cultural hegemony, emphasizing Gramsci’s conceptualization and its archaeological elaboration in Routledge’s work. Ultimately, the findings were analyzed at three levels: material (graves, objects, bodies), symbolic (rituals, sanctity, gender), and experiential (consent, acceptance, and social order), allowing the proposal of a refined concept of “pre-state cultural hegemony.Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the Tol-e Chega Sofla data can reflect indicators of pre-state hegemonic processes. However, these interpretations remain tentative and require broader comparative studies with contemporaneous sites in southwestern Iran. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_108396.html Purpose- This study aims to investigate the processes of transformation and the hypertextual relations of Atiq Rahimi’s Curse on Dostoevsky in connection with Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, while also elucidating its anthropological dimensions. The central question is how Rahimi, through rewriting a canonical text within the cultural and historical context of postwar Afghanistan, transforms both the narrative structure and characterization of the hypotext, while simultaneously redefining concepts such as crime, punishment, justice, conscience, redemption, and the human subject in a new way. The study seeks to demonstrate that Curse on Dostoevsky is not merely a narrative adaptation of a celebrated classic, but rather a critical engagement with the legacy of classical literature and an attempt to localize it within the crisis-ridden context of a society marked by war, institutional collapse, chronic violence, and a crisis of legitimacy.Methodology- This research is conducted through a descriptive-analytical method with a comparative approach. Its theoretical framework is based on two principal axes: first, Gérard Genette’s theory of hypertextuality, especially the concepts of hypotext, hypertext, transformation, and quantitative and qualitative shifts; second, N. A. Fateeva’s intertextual approach, with particular emphasis on the role of paratextual elements in guiding interpretation. In addition, the anthropological layer of the text rests on the assumption that literature reveals the mechanisms through which human beings understand the self, the other, sin, judgment, and redemption.Findings- The findings show that Rahimi preserves a clear connection to Crime and Punishment at the level of plot, yet introduces fundamental transformations at the level of deep structure. The shift of the narrative setting from Saint Petersburg to Kabul is not merely a geographical relocation, but an entry into a new semiotic sphere in which war, insecurity, and the collapse of social order overshadow every aspect of life. The motive for murder likewise changes from a theoretical and philosophical problem—namely the idea of the “superior man” or “Übermensch”—into a complex set of social, moral, religious, and honor-based pressures. From an anthropological perspective, the text demonstrates how the subject in a crisis-stricken world remains suspended between disintegrating norms and individual conscience, and is compelled to reconstruct meaning through its relation to the other, tradition, and violence. Moreover, the protagonist is transformed from a reflective and theory-driven subject into a destabilized individual overwhelmed by existential and environmental disorder. The bond between crime and redemption, which constitutes a central foundation in Dostoevsky’s novel, is severed in Rahimi’s world, where punishment leads not to purification and salvation, but to suspension, disorientation, and indeterminacy. The novel’s title itself, as a metatextual element, establishes a tense, self-aware, and critical relationship with the hypotext, inviting the reader to reflect on the legacy of classical literature and the possibility of rewriting it in a contemporary context.Conclusions- Based on this analysis, Curse on Dostoevsky is more than an adaptation; it is a critical and anthropological rewriting that represents the experience of the Afghan subject within a context of crisis, violence, and the absence of a legitimate authority of judgment. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_108496.html Among historical studies on the red rose, Iran is identified as the homeland of the rose. The spread of the rose in the ancient world, starting from the first half of the first millennium BCE, traversed regions such as Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey, ancient Phoenicia), Thrace/Ancient Thrace (parts of present-day European Turkey, parts of Bulgaria and Greece), Macedonia, Greece, and even Egypt. In another direction, it reached India and China. This study emphasizes cultural knowledge tools, the history of cultural knowledge, and both tangible and intangible cultural materials as the core of the discussion. Based on this, cultural indicators related to the issue of distillation, rosewater, and the rosewater vessels/ sprinkler, are presented as a new framework for understanding the cultural and historical history of ancient Iran, which has been less explored, particularly in relation to the broader concept of "Iranian Rosewater" through comparative studies and support from historical documents. This article, based on the cultural history approach—one of the anthropological research methods in archaeology—examines all cultural remains, architectural decorations, and historical documents to depict the culture of the rose (Muhammadi) and the practice of rosewater production as part of the artistic history, ancient ethnology, distillation techniques, and trade in ancient Iran. On the other hand, historical documents, especially those related to trade, will be presented, focusing on Iranian rosewater commerce. The main objective of this research is to provide a scientific and historical framework regarding the origins and use of rosewater production in ancient Iran, extending through to the Qajar period. This aims to enrich the cultural memory of specialists and the general public about the history of the rose and Iranian rosewater.Keywords: Red rose (Muhammadi); Iranian rosewater; Artistic object and works; Pre- and post-Islamic periods; Cultural history.IntroductionThis article, based on the cultural history approach as a research method in cultural anthropology within archaeology, examines Iranian rose (Gol-e Sorkh) culture through two main aspects. On one hand, it explores the material culture related to the Persian rose, the history of distillation, and different types of rosewater containers across various periods of Iran, through museum objects and architectural decorations. On the other hand, it delves into historical documents about the trade of Iranian rosewater, presenting them as valuable sources. In this research, all cultural evidence and historical Texts will be used to depict the culture of the Persian rose, rosewater distillation, and its significance as part of the artistic history, ancient ethnology, and the history of distillation techniques and commerce in ancient Iran. Some of the examples of cultural artifacts will be found in public and private museums within Iran, others abroad, as well as architectural decorations in historical buildings such as mosques and schools. Finally, historical documents from merchants' bookkeeping offices, particularly from the Safavid period, will be presented to enhance our understanding of the rose and rosewater in ancient Iran, to clarify its historical and scientific significance for both specialists and the general public.Research Method and GoalThis study emphasizes cultural knowledge methods, history of cultural knowledge, and tangible and intangible cultural materials as the central focus of the discussion. Based on this research, the cultural indicators related to distillation, rosewater, and rosewater containers will be examined as a new development in the historical culture of ancient Iran, distinct from neighboring cultures, through a comparative study of artifacts and supporting historical documents (Burke, 2024: 2-3; Eggert, 2010; Assmann). With this approach, the study explores the cultural bond between pre- and post-Islamic generations of Iranians through rosewater and related artifacts, museum collections, architectural decorations, and historical documents, as the core of Iran's historical memory. The primary goal of this research is to provide a scientific and historical framework regarding the origins and usage of rosewater from ancient Iran to the Qajar period, contributing to a clearer historical and cultural memory of Persian roses and rosewater.Background of Persian Rose and Distillation in Ancient Iran https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_108497.html Purpose –Gérard Genette’s narratological discourse theory (1930–2018), with its focus on five fundamental components—order, duration, frequency, mood, and voice—stands as one of the most effective narrative frameworks for analyzing narrative structures; structures that can be traced and interpreted not only in written texts but also within the realm of imagery.Accordingly, the present study aims to examine in detail how the discourse of monarchy is reproduced, reinforced,and symbolically sustainedthrough narrative elements within the pictorial structure of the aforementioned mural, and to identify its broader symbolic function as a visual genealogy of political power.This research is grounded in the understanding that in the Qajar ear, visual arts particularly royal murals served not merely as decorative forms but as intentional instruments for narrating political legitimacy and dynastic continuity. Based on this, the research seeks to address three fundamental questions: 1. What kind of perspective on the status of human beings (especially the king) can be inferred from the narrative structure of the image? 2. How is the representation of human figures in the Nowruz Salutation of Fath-Ali Shah mural organized within the narrative structure of the image? 3. How can Gérard Genette’s narratological concepts be applied to analyze the representation of humans in this painting?Methodology –The present research adopts an analytical–descriptive approach, combining theoretical analysis with empirical examination of the mural. Data collection has been carried out through documentary methods, drawing upon an extensive range of library resources, museum archives, and published scholarly works on Qajar art, Iranian court painting, and narrative theory. The study employs a human-centered narratological lens, situating the visual analysis firmly within the conceptual framework of Gérard Genette’s theory of narrative discourse. Special attention is paid to Genette’s structural categories, which are here adapted for the reading of visual texts. The focal case is the Fath-Ali Shah Qajar Nowruz Salutation mural (1813 CE) and preserved in the Soleimanieh Palace in Karaj a monumental work that embodies both ceremonial grandeur and dynastic symbolism. In addition to textual analysis of the mural’s composition, iconography, and figure arrangement has been conducted to correlate narrative structures whit visual strategies. This methodological design not only ensures fidelity to narratological theory but also accommodates the specificities of Iranian visual culture.Findings – The narratological analysis reveals that the mural can be interpreted simultaneously as an invaluable historical document and as a carefully constructed visual genealogy of Qajar political and cultural authority. Through the deliberate spatial arrangement of figures, the careful orchestration of hierarchical scale, and the recurrent deployment of symbolic motifs—such as the crown, ceremonial regalia, and the formalized gestures of courtiers—the composition achieves a coherent and purposeful narrative structure. Its focalized layout directs the viewer’s gaze toward the central figure of the monarch, thereby reinforcing the centrality of royal power in the visual storyworld. From a Genettian perspective, the mural’s use of order emphasizes ceremonial precedence; its frequency underscores the cyclical renewal of dynastic legitimacy through Nowruz rituals; and its mood reveals a controlled narrative distance that elevates the king’s image above that of all other figures. Furthermore, the interplay between Genette’s narratological categories and the indigenous conventions of Iranian mural painting produces multiple interpretive layers. These include the work’s alignment with Persian literary traditions of courtly praise, its integration of visual paratexts such as inscriptions or architectural framing, and its capacity to function as a hypertext to earlier visual and textual sources. The research also identifies that the mural’s genealogy is not merely symbolic but performative—its very public presence in the palace space continually enacted and reaffirmed royal authority. Consequently, the work emerges as a systematic model for analyzing the interrelations of art, power, and political will in Iran’s visual heritage, with potential applicability to broader interdisciplinary inquiries in art history, political anthropology, and cultural studies.Conclusion –The findings demonstrate that the mural lends itself to a nuanced narratological reading grounded in Gérard Genette’s framework, particularly in relation to the categories of order, frequency, and mood. Beyond depicting a singular historical moment, it narrates the principle of crown princely succession, embedding political ideology within its visual form. The integration of visual narrative with narratological structures renders the piece an exemplary instance of how theoretical models can illuminate the compositional logic and ideological function of royal artworks. Moreover, the detailed examination of compositional strategies—such as spatial hierarchy, figure placement, and symbolic ornamentation—shows that the mural transcends mere historical record to operate as a multilayered text. In doing so, it offers insight into how Iranian court painters employed narrative strategies to secur https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_108498.html Purpose: The main issue of the present study is the lack of a culture-based and contextualized framework to guide the transformation process in Iraqi government organizations; a framework that can explain and guide the change process from the preparation stage to institutionalization by relying on an anthropological understanding of organizational culture. This study aims to present and validate a culture-based framework for managing transformation in the Iraqi government sector based on Lewin's three-stage model and with an explanation based on organizational anthropology. By combining theoretical findings and empirical evidence, this framework identifies and prioritizes effective methods for cultural diagnosis, intervention in the change process, and stabilization and institutionalization of transformation in the institutional and cultural context of Iraq. Methodology: This study was conducted with a sequential exploratory mixed approach. In the first stage, a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis of studies related to transformation management, organizational culture, and government organizations were used to extract the components of the framework. In the second stage, the elements of the proposed framework were prioritized through an expert questionnaire among managers and specialists of the Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The Best-Worst Method (BWM) technique was used to prioritize the proposed methods. Findings: The findings showed that in the de-icing stage, creating psycho-cultural readiness, cultural awareness, and identifying cultural resistances are the most important prerequisites for change. In the intervention stage, learning-oriented, leadership-oriented, and participatory approaches are most important, and in the consolidation stage, continuing leadership support, institutionalizing cultural values ​​through formal systems, and aligning human resource systems are the most important factors for sustainable change. The validation results also showed that the proposed framework has high credibility in terms of its suitability to the Iraqi cultural and institutional context, conceptual comprehensiveness, implementability, and policy functionality. Conclusion: This study, by reviewing change management from the perspective of organizational anthropology, shows that organizational culture is not a marginal variable, but rather the main context for the formation, acceptance, and continuation of change in government organizations. Therefore, the proposed framework can provide a theoretical and practical basis for designing change policies in the Iraqi Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and other government organizations in transitional societies https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_107272.html Objective: The present study aimed to identify the main issues within the Astragalus tragacanth value chain and to deeply analyze the lived experience of the local community regarding the factors affecting exploitation, environmental challenges, harvesting process, economic structure, and the level of ecological-social resilience of the rangelands in Tiran and Karvan County. The study focused on understanding field realities and integrating indigenous and institutional knowledge to propose a practical framework for improving the management and enhancing the added value of the tragacanth product. In this regard, the main research problem is the ecological unsustainability of the rangelands and the unfair economic structure of the value chain, which has led to the weakening of the livelihoods of exploiters, reduced product quality, and the destruction of Astragalus tragacanth species. Methodology: The research employed a qualitative methodology based on thematic analysis, following the six-step model by Braun and Clarke. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and the review of local documents. Sampling was conducted using a purposive-chain method, and 11 participants, including experienced exploiters, natural resources experts, traders, and value chain activists, were selected. The interviews were recorded and transcribed after obtaining consent, and data analysis was performed using open, axial, and conceptual aggregation coding. Peer assessment, constant comparison, and participant verification methods were used to enhance credibility. The output of the analysis included 162 initial codes, 17 sub-themes, and 6 main themes, representing various dimensions of the Astragalus tragacanth value chain in the region. Findings: The findings revealed that exploitation management is influenced by a gap between formal regulations and indigenous knowledge, and complex bureaucracy, insufficient monitoring, human resource limitations, and informal costs have reduced the effectiveness of the management system. In the environmental dimension, successive droughts, changes in precipitation patterns, increased temperatures, pests, and unprincipled harvesting have led to widespread bush desiccation and reduced rangeland regeneration capacity. In the production sector, reduced participation of experienced individuals and the entry of unskilled laborers have resulted in the spread of improper tapping techniques and a decline in product quality. An examination of the economic structure showed that the value chain is heavily controlled by intermediaries and exporters, and the exploiters receive only a small share of the final profit. Smuggling, raw sales, lack of price transparency, and lack of access to formal markets are significant challenges. In the processing area, it was found that the absence of processing industries, local packaging, and standardization results in the loss of added value and employment opportunities, creating extensive dependence on raw exports. Finally, the ecological-social resilience analysis indicated that rangeland degradation, weak support structures, and reduced transfer of indigenous knowledge have severely diminished the resilience of the ecosystem and the local community, and their economic dependence on tragacanth makes them vulnerable to crises. Conclusion: Based on the thematic analysis, the sustainability of the Astragalus tragacanth value chain requires the reform of monitoring and licensing structures, the design of participatory models utilizing indigenous knowledge, training in specialized harvesting skills, the development of local processing and packaging units, the creation of marketing cooperatives, and increased price transparency. Furthermore, rangeland restoration, mitigation of exploitation pressure, and the development of programs adaptable to climate change are essential for strengthening ecological resilience. The present study, by combining the perspectives of the local community and formal institutions, offers a practical framework for improving the value chain and enhancing the livelihoods of exploiters, which is generalizable to the management of other medicinal rangeland species. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_108167.html Purpose- This study examines the complexities of culture shock and its role in the process of intercultural identity formation among non-Iranian learners of Persian living in Iran. Its primary aim is to move beyond a reductionist understanding of culture shock as a mere “problem” and to conceptualize it instead as a “transformative transition” and a “cognitive lens” that may give rise to diverse outcomes within the Iranian cultural context, including the redefinition of identity, the acquisition of cultural capital, or, in some cases, the entrenchment of isolation and estrangement. The study also investigates how learners of Persian interpret, negotiate, and reposition their identities in response to everyday cultural differences encountered in institutional and social environments.Methodology- This study adopted a qualitative design based on the grounded theory approach. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 35 non-Iranian learners of Persian in two educational settings-Allameh Tabataba’i University and Al-Mustafa Al-‘Alamiyah University-complemented by participant observation and ethnographic fieldnotes. Participants were selected using purposive sampling followed by theoretical sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. Data analysis was conducted in three stages-open, axial, and selective coding-to generate the study’s paradigmatic model and final theory. Throughout the analytical process, focus was placed on identifying recurring experiential patterns and the ways participants made meaning of cultural unfamiliarity in both academic settings and everyday life.Findings- The findings indicate that culture shock in Iran is a multilayered and relational phenomenon experienced at the intersection of three levels: (1) the structural-institutional level, including rules, administrative procedures, and bureaucracy; (2) the level of everyday sociocultural practices, including social etiquette, indirect communicative practices, and ta’arof; and (3) the level of discourses and stereotypes, where learners encounter pre-existing assumptions and symbolic boundaries. Participants’ responses to culture shock followed two distinct trajectories: an active trajectory, characterized by reflexive identity work, selective adaptation, and the construction of a multilayered identity; and a passive trajectory, marked by resistance, withdrawal, and the consolidation of estrangement. While some participants gradually transformed uncertainty into learning, others remained trapped in recurring patterns of estrangement. The transformation of culture shock into a constructive experience, rather than being merely a matter of reducing “cultural distance,” requires the development of a capacity to position oneself and a “cultural apprenticeship” within a complex field of cultural forces. In this process, the Persian language functions as a vital site of power relations and cultural capital, and language learning becomes inseparable from participation in local systems of meaning, values, and social norms.Conclusions- Culture shock can move beyond being a mere psychological barrier and become a productive site for the development of intercultural identity, provided that educational settings create opportunities for critical reflection and meaningful interaction. Rather than treating cultural difference as an obstacle to be minimized, educational environments should approach it as an interpretive resource that deepens both linguistic and cultural learning. This study underscores the need for curriculum planners and instructors in Teaching Persian to Speakers of Other Languages (TPSOL, known in Iran as AZFA) to shift their orientation from the “management of shock” to the “facilitation of transformative transition,” such that cultural differences are understood as cognitive opportunities for deeper engagement with language and culture. These findings may assist curriculum designers and teachers in developing more responsive pedagogical practices that better support learners’ adaptation, identity negotiation, and intercultural growth. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_109152.html AbstractPurpose: Social protection for children is a key indicator of social justice, reflected in both international normative instruments and domestic laws and policies; however, the transformation of international norms into national policies and practices is neither a linear nor a direct process. This study aims to provide a sociological explanation of how international norms regarding social protection for children are translated and reformulated within Iran’s legal, policy, and institutional frameworks, and to identify the points of convergence and divergence in this process.Methodology: This qualitative study, using a comparative documentary analysis strategy with an interpretive-critical orientation, examines three groups of sources: international documents (the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the general comments of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child; ILO Recommendation No. 202; and the UNICEF social protection framework); domestic documents (the Constitution; the family- and child-related provisions of the Civil Code; and the 2020 Protection of Children and Adolescents Act); and secondary evidence. Data were analysed through qualitative thematic analysis in five stages, and trustworthiness was ensured based on Lincoln and Guba’s four criteria.Findings: Domestic documents largely show convergence with international standards at the normative-legislative level, but divergences are observed at the structural-implementation level. These divergences are most evident in coverage and non-discrimination, adequacy and continuity of support, and institutional coordination and implementation capacity. The present analysis indicates that the path through which international norms enter the domestic context can be formulated in terms of six analytical layers: (1) the international norm; (2) domestic legal-policy reformulation; (3) institutional organisation and distribution of responsibility; (4) financing and programme design; (5) frontline professional and bureaucratic implementation; and (6) effective access and realisation of children’s rights.Conclusion: In the reviewed documents and evidence, the gap between legislative convergence and structural-administrative coherence is one of the main issues of the child social protection system in Iran. Reducing this gap requires consolidating fragmented governance, strengthening institutional accountability, improving the adequacy and continuity of support, and redefining the relationship between family, state, and child on the basis of child agency. The gap between normative commitment and the realisation of the right is not the result of a single rupture; rather, it is the outcome of a multilayered interaction among law, institutions, resources, professional practice, and the cultural construction of childhood.Keywords: Cultural construction of childhood, normative filtering, social protection, child agency, Convention on the Rights of the Child. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_108816.html Purpose - This research provides an anthropological analysis of the image of women in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh using Erving Goffman's dramaturgical theory. As one of the most important epic texts and bearers of Iranian cultural identity, the Shahnameh provides a rich context for examining gender representations and social roles of women. The main focus is on four key female characters, Tahmineh, Rudabeh, Farangis, and Katayoun. The study examines how these characters reflect the cultural, gender, and social tensions of Ferdowsi's era through their "performance" and management of dramatic effects, and analyzes the role of epic literature as a tool for representing, reproducing, and challenging social norms. The research also seeks to understand the impact of the interaction of social "staging" (front and backstage) and the cultural habitus of the characters on their dramatic strategies.In this framework, women are considered not only literary characters but also dramatic actors who highlight the dynamics of gender identity in ancient Iranian society. Methodology - This article uses a descriptive-analytical-comparative method and draws on Erving Goffman's theoretical framework (the concepts of performance, spectacle, staging, affect management, front and backstage performance, and stigma). Data are collected through a semiotic and contextual analysis of female characters in the socio-historical context of the Shahnameh. The method involves the systematic coding and analysis of dramatic elements (roles, appearance, interactions, and stage space) and their relationship to gender and social norms. The comparative analysis focuses on the interaction of women's dramatic actions with patriarchal structures. The data are validated using textual sources from the Shahnameh and previous studies to ensure the validity and reliability of the analysis.This methodology allows for an in-depth comparison of gender representations. Findings - The women of Shahnameh as dramatic actors, by playing symbolic roles (the devoted mother in Tahmina, the loyal wife in Rudabeh, the resistant woman in exile in Farangis, and the guardian of racial identity in Katayoun), represent the cultural and gender tensions of Ferdowsi's era. Through the clever management of their image in epic social scenes, they reproduce patriarchal norms, but behind the scenes, they reveal hidden power, initiative, and culturally active roles. The comparative analysis shows that these characters, by utilizing dramatic techniques (appearance, behavior, and staging), both participate in the reproduction of structures and demonstrate the capacity for symbolic challenge and resistance.Conclusion- This study showed that epic literature acts as a mirror of cultural and gender dynamics and is able to depict complex representations of women’s roles. By managing dramatic effects, female characters in Shahnameh both reinforce existing norms and highlight hidden capacities for transformation. Differences in dramatic strategies are rooted in the interaction of individual actors with sociocultural structures. The research suggests that the study of female characters in other ancient texts and similar societies should be continued for comparative studies of gender and contemporary cultural policy-making. Finally, this analysis suggests that a cultural anthropological approach to epic texts can contribute to a deeper understanding of actors’ interactions with social structures and provide a basis for cultural policy-making in the area of ​​gender identity. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_109065.html Objective – Classical anthropology generally focuses on an approach in which the anthropologist spends a prolonged period in the field, documents the actions and thoughts of the people, and explicates patterns of human behavior. With the postmodern critique of ethnography, anthropologists working in more innovative ways engage in a powerful and contested dialogue concerning the relationship between cultural reality and ethnographic representation. Although the bulk of ethnographic writing has remained predominantly prose, with the creative turn in the postmodern text, we witness the emergence of anthropological poetry. Poetry constitutes a significant domain in which anthropologists can mitigate the tensions arising between themselves and the community under study. Poetic art allows the anthropologist to make meaning of the subjectivities and contradictions experienced in the "field." In this article, as an anthropologist and a poet, I focus on one of the dynamic and emerging branches of anthropological research namely, anthropological poetry and poetic ethnography in order to address two significant questions: How can poetry assist anthropologists in writing more profoundly about their own lives and those of others in the anthropological field? How can ethnographic poetry contribute to ethnography in exploring and illuminating cultural boundaries? Methodology – The present study employs a qualitative, analytical interpretive approach to examine how the form of poetry influences anthropological meaning and insight, as well as to elucidate the relationship between anthropology and poetry. Using thematic analysis, the fundamental themes (presence and absence, rupture and connection, transcendence, representation of lived experience, self-reflexivity) were identified and interpreted through the constant comparative method. Findings – The findings of this article indicate that if classical anthropology concealed the subjectivity of the anthropologist, contemporary anthropology considers the anthropologist's presence far more productive. Anthropological poetry, in addition to its aesthetic function, constitutes a form of "communicative action" and "reflexivity." This mode of poetry both articulates the silences and ambiguities of culture and, by documenting rituals, beliefs, and intangible heritage, reflects social and ritual functions. Conclusion – For anthropologists, poetry is a comprehensive mirror of the lifeways, collective beliefs, and cultural characteristics of the people of a land. Through poetry, anthropologists can discover and reveal the cultural and biological layers of human beings. Anthropological poetry provides a pathway for anthropology to remain relevant, fresh, and novel years after the completion of studies of a culture. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_109066.html Extended Abstract 1. Introduction The present study is a study of cultural conflicts caused by tourism in the coastal city of Babolsar with an anthropological approach. Tourism has become one of the most important cultural, economic, and social areas in Iran in recent decades.Tourism has become a significant economic, cultural, and social activity in Iran, with Babolsar, located in Mazandaran province, emerging as a key tourist destination due to its strategic location by the Babolrud River and the Caspian Sea. The influx of domestic and international tourists, particularly during spring and summer, has contributed to economic growth and provided financial opportunities for locals. The rapid development of tourism infrastructure has further strained the local environment and resources, intensifying these tensions. The study aims to explore these cultural clashes from an anthropological perspective, focusing on the lived experiences of both locals and tourists. Using Victor Turner's "liminality" theory, the research examines how tourism creates a transitional space where tourists suspend social norms, leading to behaviors that disrupt the local cultural order. By investigating these dynamics, the study seeks to uncover the root causes of cultural conflicts and offer solutions for better managing the relationship between tourists and the local community. 2. Research Methodology This qualitative study uses an ethnographic approach to examine the cultural conflicts caused by tourism in Babolsar. Data were gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews, participatory observation, and field notes, involving 27 participants: 10 tourists, 9 non-economic locals, 4 economic locals, and 4 lifeguards. The ethnographic method offers a deep understanding of the experiences of both locals and tourists, providing rich, qualitative insights. Interviews, lasting 40-60 minutes, were recorded and transcribed for analysis. 3. Research Findings The study reveals several key areas of cultural conflict in Babolsar, stemming from the interactions between tourists and the local community. These conflicts can be categorized into symbolic, security, spatial, temporal, and economic dimensions. 1. Symbolic Conflict: One of the most prominent conflicts arises from differences in clothing and public behavior between tourists and locals. Tourists, especially during the summer months, often adopt a casual and liberal dress code, which is perceived by the locals as a violation of traditional norms, particularly in the presence of religious or cultural sites. 2. Security Conflict: Another significant area of conflict involves safety concerns. Lifeguards reported frequent disregard by tourists of safety guidelines, particularly in terms of swimming in hazardous conditions or ignoring rescue instructions. . https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_109067.html Purpose: This study aims to understand and explain the lived experiences of Iranian hijab-style influencers on Instagram. The central concern is how the identities of women involved in hijab-style practices are shaped and redefined through the interaction of hijab, fashion, individuality, religiosity, and the digital environment. Rather than reducing hijab-style to a media, consumer, or fashion-oriented phenomenon, the study focuses on the lived experiences of these actors and the meanings they attribute to their presence and activities on Instagram. Methodology: This qualitative study employed a virtual ethnography approach. Data were collected through participant observation of Instagram pages, participation in events related to fashion and hijab, in-depth interviews, field notes, and content analysis of the Instagram pages of six Iranian hijab-style influencers, each with more than 400,000 followers. The collected data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify and interpret the major themes associated with lived experience, identity, hijab, and digital life. Findings: The findings indicate that Instagram is not merely a platform for hijab-style influencers to share images and fashion-related content; rather, it has become an integral part of their everyday lifeworld. The boundaries between offline and digital life have become increasingly intertwined, with clothing choices, communication practices, personal narratives, and social relationships being shaped through continuous interaction with Instagram. Within this digital lifeworld, hijab is not simply a religious signifier but also serves as a means of expressing individuality, representing lifestyle, and constructing and reconstructing identity. Hijab-style influencers creatively combine religiosity, fashion, and individuality in an effort to present more diverse representations of Muslim women. At the same time, their identities are continuously reconstructed through interactions with audiences, mechanisms of visibility, platform practices, and the attention economy. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that hijab-style cannot be understood solely in terms of changes in clothing practices or fashion consumption. Rather, it constitutes part of broader transformations in the identity experiences of Iranian women in the context of the expanding digital environment. The digital lifeworld of hijab-style influencers provides a space for negotiating tradition, modernity, religiosity, and individuality, where hijab shifts from being a fixed and unidimensional signifier to a dynamic resource for communication, self-expression, and identity reconstruction. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_109147.html Purpose: This study analyzes rites associated with healing and misfortune averting in Iranian folk culture, focusing on their relationship with acts of passage and rites of passage. The central question is how healing and misfortune averting rituals, when accompanied by an act of passage or a change of status, operate through mechanisms and how these mechanisms relate to the structure of rites of passage. Drawing on Arnold van Gennep’s theory of rites of passage and Victor Turner’s elaboration of liminality, together with James Frazer’s theory of sympathetic magic, the study seeks to distinguish physical passage from ritual passage and from a structured rite of passage. Methodology: The study employs documentary research and qualitative content analysis. Data were extracted from sources on Iranian folk culture, including ethnographic texts, anthropological reports, and studies of healing and misfortune averting rituals. The analytical corpus consists of 24 ritual cases; repeated accounts or different reports of the same practice were not counted as separate cases. Each case was examined according to its ritual elements, type of passage, and change in status before and after the ritual. The cases were coded, compared, and organized into analytical categories. Van Gennep, Turner, and Frazer were used as theoretical sources rather than as documentary data. Results: The analysis shows that physical passage, ritualized acts of passage, and rites of passage are analytically distinct. In some cases, passing through a material or spatial medium, such as fire, an opening, or an animal skin, functions within practices of misfortune averting, purification, transfer, or protection and does not necessarily constitute a rite of passage. Where an identifiable change of status and a passage structure can be established, such acts can be interpreted through separation, liminality, and incorporation. The laws of similarity and contagion also help explain the logic of some practices, including the symbolic transfer of illness or misfortune to a substitute carrier and the use of similarity to produce a desired transformation. Conclusion: Healing and misfortune averting rituals in Iranian folk culture should therefore not be treated as a uniform category of rites of passage, but as a range of symbolic practices, some of which are structurally connected to passage. The principal contribution of the study is to distinguish three analytical levels: physical passage, the symbolic mechanism of passage, and the structure of a rite of passage. A passage becomes an element of a rite of passage only when it is accompanied by an identifiable change of status and structural features. This distinction enables a more precise use of van Gennep’s and Turner’s concepts while showing that Frazer’s laws of similarity and contagion can illuminate healing and misfortune averting practices independently of a complete rite-of-passage structure. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_109151.html Objective: This study examines the action-oriented and semiotic mechanisms of Ayari discourse and shows how it guides social relations, shapes attitudes, and regulates ethical actions. Ayari discourse is based on valor, chivalry, protecting others’ dignity, responsibility, and adherence to ethical norms. Through coherent narration and interaction among actors, it provides a stable basis for continuity of values and behavioral patterns. It gradually and purposefully produces and consolidates meaning and plays a role in more effectively shaping and directing social agency. Methodology: This descriptive-analytical, library-based study adopts a semiotic-semantic approach and was conducted in stages and systematically. Darab-nameh by Bighami, edited by Dr. Zabihollah Safa (1339), was selected as the main source because it is a comprehensive narrative related to Ayari discourse and allows identification of actions, signs, and semantic patterns. All data were extracted from it. Sections involving ethical actions, inter-actor interactions, bodily actions, linguistic signs, situational behaviors, and symbolic behaviors were used as units of analysis. Data were categorized by communicative role, semantic function, narrative position, and contribution to consolidating values and directing action. Events and actor interactions were analyzed for action, coordination, interaction management, and meaning transfer. Data were grouped into four categories: linguistic signs, bodily actions, situational behaviors, and symbolic behaviors. Actors were identified, but their names were not mentioned in this section. Findings: The findings indicate that Ayari discourse in Darab-nameh constructs meaning through systematic interaction of signs and actions. Ayari actors, particularly Behrouz, identify, in confronting the addressee, three types of resistance: emotional, behavioral, and situational. Although the addressee has a limited role, resistance is important in the process of action and decision-making. Actors manage this resistance through strategies such as gradual semantic alignment, tension mitigation, regulation of interaction, and purposeful accommodation. These strategies rely on connecting linguistic signs with bodily and symbolic actions, enabling the organization of action and gradual resistance guidance, including reconfiguring action and directing interaction toward the desired direction. Conclusion: The results indicate that Ayari discourse in Darab-nameh is not merely a reflection of social reality but shapes and directs it. Management of resistance, regulation of interaction, and shaping of behavior at the narrative level produce meaning and transmit ethical and cultural norms. Through simultaneous action and signs, this discourse reproduces patterns of behavioral intervention, persuasion, and regulation of social relations. Its effect extends beyond its historical context to contemporary action-oriented discourses and social interactions. Overall, Ayari discourse, as a dynamic meaning-producing system, enables a deeper understanding of the formation of action, regulation of meaning, and organization of social interactions. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_109227.html This study was conducted using a critical ethnographic approach and seeks to understand and explain how identity management takes shape in the experience of multiple sclerosis (MS) within the fields studied in Isfahan. The primary focus is on the gap between the invisibility of certain symptoms and the believability of suffering in everyday interactions. In this context, illness management is not merely a clinical matter; rather, it is a situated process of confronting stigma, negotiating identity, and reconstructing agency at the intersection of body, interaction, and structure. – The research was conducted based on Carspecken's three-stage preliminary and five-stage primary critical ethnography model, drawing on the methodological account of Davoudi et al. (2025). The primary data consisted of 20 lived narratives included in the final analysis, and to complement and dialogically enrich the analysis, four supplementary interviews were also examined through digital interaction. The data comprised fieldwork, over twenty participant observation sessions, field notes, in-depth narratives, and supplementary digital data. The analysis was organized across three levels: the lived body, social interaction, and structure, with agency conceptualized as the mechanism linking these three levels. In the analysis, raw data, direct observation, analytical reconstruction, and interpretation of systemic relations were distinguished from one another, and disconfirming cases were retained to test analytical claims. In the process of member checking, interpretations were presented to participants for refinement, deepening, or revision, and this process was not treated as uniform confirmation of all interpretations. The narratives demonstrate that the illness experience in the studied fields cannot be reduced to a linear sequence of illness, stigma, and exclusion. At the level of the lived body, fatigue, brain fog, pain, and motor impairment create a gap between internal sensation and external appearance; at the level of interaction, this gap manifests in the form of judgment, disclosure, concealment, and identity negotiation; and at the level of structure, the workplace, urban spaces, and institutional procedures can either exacerbate or mitigate this inequality. "The paradox of apparent health," "strategic concealment," and "reconstruction of agency" constitute the three central analytical concepts, while "the wound of honesty" emerges as a conditional empirical category in certain narratives of illness disclosure and its relational consequences. Disconfirming cases also demonstrate that disclosure does not lead to exclusion in all situations. https://ijar.ut.ac.ir/article_109228.html Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the role of social and religious rituals in preserving and strengthening social solidarity and reproducing the collective identity of Azerbaijani-speaking migrants in the Niroogah neighborhood of Qom within the framework of the kinship system. This research seeks to uncover the role of kinship networks in regulating and organizing the social life of the community under study. It also aims to identify the role of the kinship network as a macro‑structure in reproducing other social, economic, cultural, and social structures. Methodology: This research has been conducted using ethnographic methods, including participant and field observation in more than 200 ceremonies, as well as semi‑structured interviews with 100 residents. Data were collected and analyzed in the natural environment through long-term immersion. In analyzing the data, and in order to create theoretical sensitivity, an attempt was made to draw upon diverse social science approaches, including those of Durkheim, Geertz, Bourdieu, Ibn Khaldun's concept of ‘asabiyyah, as well as Khajeh Nasir’s concept of love–justice and Hamid Parsania’s social worlds. Findings: According to the findings, the kinship system, as a deeply rooted social system, generates and supports nine important ritual contexts of action in social life, including: the ritual context of marriage, the ritual context of mourning, the ritual context of Nowruz and public celebrations, the ritual context of collective assistance and mutual aid, the ritual context of illness, the ritual context of travel, the ritual context of religious rituals and mourning ceremonies, the connective (visitation-based) ritual context, and the ritual context of birth. Ritual contexts, as arenas of meaningful collective action, play a central role in creating social cohesion, strengthening support networks, and managing economic exchanges. These contexts have symbolic, emotional, and economic functions and act as informal mechanisms countering the pressures of urban modernity. Moreover, kinship rituals, as a macro‑structure, influence other social, cultural, and economic domains and lead to the reproduction of related structures under their umbrella. Conclusions: This study emphasizes the need for policymakers and planners to strengthen kinship institutions and ritual contexts as key factors in reducing social problems and enhancing social solidarity in Iranian society. The gradual weakening and loss of credibility of these rituals among younger generations of migrants has directly led to the weakening of kinship ‘asabiyyah. This weakening has, in turn, paved the way for the emergence and intensification of new social harms; its concrete manifestation can be seen in the spread of individualism and the sharp increase in divorce rates within the tribes studied—reflecting the gradual breakdown of traditional social guarantees and pressures that once safeguarded core institutions. This indicates that in the absence of strong ‘asabiyyah bonds, the social life of the community is transitioning toward urban patterns of living that no longer possess the dense and solid backing of traditional structures. Nonetheless, the findings show that kinship-related relations and rituals, despite their weakening, still remain one of the most important pillars in reproducing a particular form of social life among the community studied.