Multifaceted Discrimination: The Perception of Iranian Sunni Kurds About the Experience of Social Justice

Mohammad Heydari; Vahid Ghasemi

doi:10.29333/ejecs/1974

Authors

Mohammad Heydari university of Isfahan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7243-0462
Vahid Ghasemi University of Isfahan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9214-6004

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1974

Keywords:

Social justice, Sunni Kurds, multifaceted discrimination, Iran.

Abstract

Using the thematic analysis network approach, we investigated the perception of social justice experienced by Iranian Sunni Kurds. The research participants were sixteen Iranian Sunni Kurds selected using purposeful sampling. The semi-structured interview was used for data collection. The findings revealed that the participants had encountered discrimination at the intersection of four aspects: ideological discrimination, structural discrimination, agency-oriented discrimination, and intra-ethnic discrimination. The experience of multifaceted discrimination among Sunni Kurds points to a monopolistic distribution of resources, opportunities, and political power, favoring a specific ethnic group in Iran. The ethnic stratification pattern related to Sunni Kurds in Iran demonstrates the presence of a dominant core and a peripheral ethnicity. Cultural and political factors significantly shaped the core-periphery relationship between the central state and Sunni Kurds. The existence of sovereign and non-sovereign communities contributes to the persistence of discrimination against Sunni Kurds. Consequently, the perpetuation of inequality and discrimination endured by Sunni Kurds as a result of the central state’s policy of homogenization has led to internal colonialism.

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Author Biographies

Mohammad Heydari, university of Isfahan

Mohammad Heydari is a postdoctoral researcher in sociology at the University of Isfahan. His postdoctoral project focuses on ethnic justice in Iran. His research interests include Iran's social and cultural problems.

Vahid Ghasemi, University of Isfahan

Vahid Ghasemi is a faculty member in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Isfahan. He teaches theories of social justice and social inequalities. His research focuses on social and cultural problems in Iran.

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