Abstract
Two groups of factors have contributed to the formation of Iranian associations and academic individuals’ status as peripheral in the international social science academic arena. First group consists of external factors such as prevailing euro centrism, English language hegemony and inevitable political-economic problems. Second group of factors are internal factors. Iranian academics’ and academic organizations’ attitudes towards researchers’ choices of their research topics, preferred methodologies and applied theories, has resulted in aridity and stagnation of social research in Iran. Excessive emphasis on positivist paradigm, quantitative research, arbitrary interpretation of indigenization of social science and lack of problem oriented research, have led to the contemporary ambiguous status of social sciences in Iran.
Highlights
Iranian sociological streams and trends are, as in some other eastern countries, deeply affected and dominated by western scholars’ thoughts and theories
The centres, which are variable relative to the peripheral contexts, export theories and approaches, in the case of Iran, mostly through translation of American and British books and articles, for which we provide empirical data over and over
Apart from the external factors suggested as above, in what follows I will illustrate some of internal factors which have hindered the development of social sciences in Iran
Summary
Iranian sociological streams and trends are, as in some other eastern countries, deeply affected and dominated by western scholars’ thoughts and theories. I suggest that we can find external factors (affecting the social science discourse in Iran from outside Iranian borders) which contribute to this situation; but internal factors exist. Due to the dominant worldwide political restrictions, Iranian scholars have been experiencing difficulty in becoming members of international associations or taking part in academic events which take place outside their country’s borders. These structurally applied economic and political restrictions are affecting the careers of many academics including social science researchers. Apart from the external factors suggested as above, in what follows I will illustrate some of internal factors which have hindered the development of social sciences in Iran
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