Activities In Iran Research Articles

Kurdish women’s activism in Iran: struggle for re-conquest of the public sphere

ABSTRACT Ayatollah Khomeini’s concept of ‘Islamic government’, and the 1979 Iranian revolution, sought to exclude women from the public sphere and introduced a new hegemony of the Islamic public sphere. For a variety of cultural and political reasons, many Kurds in Iran refused to accept the religious government’s policies. Using the concepts of public and counter-public, the article discusses Kurdish women’s activism and investigates what motivated them to challenge their marginalization. We argue that in confronting centralist-religious power and traditional Kurdish society, Kurdish women have created new counter-publics that could promote democracy and improve gender equality in both Kurdistan and Iran.

The impact of a large-scale natural disaster on local economic activity: evidence from the 2003 Bam earthquake in Iran

AbstractThis study provides new causal evidence for the impact of a large-scale natural disaster on local economic activity in Iran using nighttime light intensity. We apply the synthetic control method (SCM) to nighttime light (NTL) data from 1992 to 2013 to study the impact of the 2003 Bam earthquake on Bam County in Iran and its neighboring counties. According to the results and statistical inference tests for the SCM, Bam County and its neighboring counties experienced a statistically significant boost in economic activity in the years following the earthquake. Bam’s GDP economic activity increases by an accumulated US$620 million in the post-earthquake period. We find that the average economic gain in Bam following the 2003 earthquake is approximately 5% of Bam’s GDP. We also discuss possible contributing factors to the post-disaster economic boom in Bam.

Cyber Activism in Iran: A Case Study

One of the most obvious characteristics of Iran’s protests in September 2022 is the emergence of a type of cyber activism that, unlike mass activism, is formed first in cyberspace. Networks have redefined social action and structure in our societies and have important consequences on production processes, power, and culture, challenging political systems, and creating legitimacy crises. The subject of the present research is important because cyber activism has an external aspect and has changed the shape of Iran’s social movements. This article is based on the Twitter data analysis method and using MAXQDA. Referring to Castells’ network society theory, it addresses this question: What role did the Twitter play in September 2022 in Mahsa Amini’s social movement? This article shows that the Twitter, in the context of existing dissatisfactions and in the absence of active organizations and parties, has led to an increase in cyberactivism in Iran. This cyberactivism encompasses mass self-communication, occupation of urban space, horizontal leadership, globalization of messages, mobilization and guidance of public opinion, nationalism, the subjectivity of women, and their identification has been its external manifestation.

Asking for solidarity: embodied feminist practices in digital space

ABSTRACT The Woman, Life, Freedom movement, beginning in September 2022, is a key chapter in the ongoing process of women’s rights activism in Iran. Social media has constituted a significant arena for asking for global solidarity with women in Iran since the initial days of this movement. The overall aim of this paper is to understand how TikTok users, including Iranian young women, have used the digital platform and transformed it into a virtual public space for media solidarity and transnational feminist activism. More precisely, it aims to shed light on how content creators, via their agency, rhetorically utilise and politicise the TikTok platform. In particular, we examine how they engage with audiences via the embodied form and affective performances in their attempt to persuade their audiences to viewership and solidarity action. The data in this paper consist of 107 top-ranked videos appearing under the hashtag #mahsaamini viewed through netnography, while the analytical method is multimodal rhetorical analysis with a focus on the mediality of the body in interaction. In addition, we adopt an embodied feminist framework and a decolonial perspective. The resulting analysis demonstrates how emotions function as one of the key elements in online mobilisation and protest in social media, not only as a motivational force but also as a part of the persuasive argument visually presented.

Institutional view of corporate social responsibility in the Iranian context

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine how formal and informal institutions play a role in the Iranian context in shaping corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and practices.Design/methodology/approachUsing a multiple case-study approach combining comparative and cross-sectional methods with semi-structured interviews, primary data was collected from eight corporations that actively participated in CSR activities in Iran. A microanalysis approach was used to examine the meanings and dynamics in the data. Through thematic analysis and pattern-matching techniques, the authors separately examined the roles of formal and informal institutions. Cross-case analysis was used to highlight the cases’ similarities and differences.FindingsThis study demonstrates that both formal and informal institutional structures exist in Iran and that both types influence CSR. This study also shows that informal institutions (such as personal values, culture, religion, traditions, charity and philanthropy) play a more explicit role than formal institutions (such as legal regulations and laws) in shaping CSR adoption policies and practices. The results indicate that, among institutions linked to CSR, formal and informal institutions are complementary and potentiate each other in Iran. Nevertheless, compared to formal ones, informal institutions play a more prominent role in shaping CSR policies and practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors recognize that, although the eight corporations are large, and although they interviewed their key personnel, they do not claim that these findings are generalizable, owing to the qualitative nature of the study and the small number of selected corporations.Originality/valueThis study makes relevant theoretical and empirical contributions. First, it contributes to the growing body of CSR literature that highlights the necessity of linking informal and formal institutions. Although the CSR literature lacks research on informal institutions in developing economies, researchers have yet to push forward and explore how the CSR adoption process works in developing economies that have influential informal institutions.

Sanctions and Illicit Trade: British American Tobacco’s Activities in Iran (2000–2014)

Sanctions and Illicit Trade: British American Tobacco’s Activities in Iran (2000–2014)

Comparison of the physical activity levels between shift workers and non-shift workers in a large-scale cross-sectional study in Iran

BackgroundShift work has been related to adverse health outcomes that can partially be attributed to physical inactivity. However, our knowledge of the influence of shift work on physical activity and sedentary behavior is inconclusive. Therefore, this study aimed to assess physical activity levels among shift and non-shift workers among a sample of Iranian adults.MethodsBaseline data of the Ravansar Non-Communicable Disease (RaNCD) cohort study were used. All participants of RaNCD except those excluded due to unemployment or considerable disability were included in the study. We evaluated participants’ physical activity levels using the PERSIAN cohort questionnaire and examined its associations with being a shift worker.ResultsA total of 4695 participants with a mean age of 46.1 (SD = 7.74) were included in the study. In total, 1108 (23.6%) participants were shift workers, 1420 (30.2%) had insufficient physical activity levels, and 4283 (91.2%) were male. The prevalence of physical inactivity was significantly lower among shift workers compared to non-shift workers (21% vs. 33.1%, p < 0.001). Multiple backward stepwise binary logistic regression tests indicated that being a shift worker was significantly associated with a lower chance of having insufficient physical activity levels (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.65–0.92, p = 0.003).ConclusionsThe prevalence of insufficient physical activity was higher among non-shift workers than shift workers in our study. By providing the factors associated with insufficient physical activity among the workers in a region of Iran, the current study findings might help policymakers target groups at higher risk of physical activity in Iran and design interventions to improve physical activity, especially among non-shift workers.

Natural Antioxidants of the Underutilized and Neglected Plant Species of Asia and South America

Background: Plants have played an essential role in the search for new compounds for the most diverse therapeutic purposes. Recently, more attention has been paid to natural antioxidants because of the possible insecurity of synthetic antioxidants. Objective: The review is aimed at summarizing the most important and common natural antioxidants and their resources from medicinal plants. Methods: The research was performed using data bases of PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Taylor and Francis, etc. to search for all collected scientific publications. Results: The most important medicinal plants with antioxidant activities in Iran are Artemisia, berberry fruit, borage, calendula, coriander, cumin, green tea, hawthorn, jujube, pomegranate, rose, rosemary, black zira, tea, and thyme. Important traditional medicinal plants with antioxidant activities in China are Asparagus, bindii, blueberries, camellia, Chinese bayberry, Chinese bitter melon, Chinese cabbage, Chinese cherry, Chinese jujube, Chinese olive, pomegranate, Chinese rose tea, Chinese toon, Chinese watermelon, black tea, knotweed, Chinese quince, Chinese rhubarb, sumac, wolfberry, dendrobium, drumstick tree, Fiscus species, ginger, ginkgo, goji berry, grape, Jerusalem thorn, kiwifruit seed oil, and liquorice root. Anacardium occidentale L., Ananas comosus (L.) Merril, Baccharis trimera (Less) DC., Carapa guianensis Aubl., Casearia sylvestris Sw., Cordia verbenacea DC., Croton lechleri Müll. Arg., and Eugenia uniflora L. are the main medicinal plants with antioxidant activities in Brazil. Conclusion: Antioxidants are those molecules that are involved in the scavenging of these reactive species causing oxidative stress and are defined as those substances which could prevent the oxidation of the substrate at low concentrations. The main derived exogenous natural antioxidants are derived from medicinal plants, fruits, foods, flowers, and traditional herbal medicines in different parts of the world

Identifying the Contextual Factors Affecting the Policymaking of Physical Activity in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Background. The reduced level of physical activity is a current global concern. To address this concern, encouraging physical activity should be highlighted by public health policymakers of the countries. This study aimed to identify the factors affecting the policies on physical activity in Iran. Methods. In this qualitative study, the analytical framework was adopted to interview 23 key informants selected by the targeted sampling with maximum variation from October 2020 to February 2021. The semi-structured interviews were performed and analyzed until the data saturation was achieved. MAXQDA-10 software was used for data management. Results. Different factors including managerial-structural, socio-cultural, political (i.e., policymaking, legal, and international), and situational factors (i.e., perceived environmental factors, changes in people's lifestyle, and restrictions caused by COVID-19) were the main contextual factors affecting the policymaking process. Conclusion. It was concluded that several relevant factors affected the policymaking in Iran regarding the physical activity. Therefore, it was recommended that these contributory factors should be considered by policymakers when making policies on physical activities.

Impact of COVID-19 on the changing pattern of human orthopneumovirus (respiratory syncytial virus) infection in Iran

BackgroundHuman orthopneumovirus (HOPV) or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the important causes of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) during the cold months of the year worldwide. Many countries have reported an absence of ARIs due to HOPV during the winter of 2020–2021 associated with preventive measures to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV2. However, with the reduction of COVID-19 public health restrictions and the absence of immunity in the community due to the lack of exposure in the previous season, many countries had a delayed HOPV outbreak. Here we reported the impact of COVID-19 on the changing pattern of HOPV infection in Iran.MethodsThroat and nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected from patients (children and adults) with ARIs and sent to the Iran National Influenza Center. After RNA extraction, Real time RT-PCR was performed for HOPV detection.ResultsIn 260 samples collected from patients with ARIs in three different groups, which included children in March 2021, pilgrims in July 2022, and outpatients during November and December 2022, no HOPV was detected in any group.ConclusionsThe lack of HOPV activity in Iran during the winter of 2020–2021 and then the resurgence in spring 2022 and again the absence of activity in summer and autumn 2022 was extraordinary in the HOPV epidemiology, and probably due to the implementation of public health non-pharmaceutical interventions to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV2. Although it is not possible to keep such restrictions, similar methods can be taken to control outbreaks caused by respiratory viruses.

The Most Important Medicinal Herbs and Plants in Traditional Chinese and Iranian Medicinal Sciences with Antioxidant Activities

Abstract: The review is aimed at summarizing the most important and common natural antioxidants and their resources from traditional Irani and Chinese medicinal sciences. The most important medicinal plants with antioxidant activities in Iran are Artemisia, berberry fruit, borage, calendula, coriander, cumin, green tea, hawthorn, jujube, pomegranate, rose, rosemary, black zira, tea, and thyme. Important traditional medicinal plants with antioxidant activities in China are Asparagus, bindii, blueberries, camellia, Chinese bayberry, Chinese bitter melon, Chinese cabbage, Chinese cherry, Chinese jujube, Chinese olive, pomegranate, Chinese rose tea, Chinese toon, Chinese watermelon, black tea, knotweed, Chinese quince, Chinese rhubarb, sumac, wolfberry, dendrobium, drumstick tree, Fiscus species, ginger, ginkgo, goji berry, grape, Jerusalem thorn, kiwifruit seed oil, and licorice root. The present review article highlights the most important medicinal plants which have been used in Iran and China as traditional herbal medicines for hundreds of years due to their tremendous antioxidant activities.

The upper crustal shear wave structure of the Zagros collision zone from local earthquake Rayleigh wave tomography

The Zagros fold-and-thrust belt is the principal response to the Arabia–Eurasia continental collision, which generates significant seismic activity in Iran. Surface wave tomography can be a proper tool for crustal structure imaging in this region. We used observed dispersion curves of Rayleigh wave derived from high-quality local-earthquake waveforms to obtain 2D tomographic maps in the period range 1–28 s beneath the Zagros collision zone. Subsequently, local pseudo-dispersion curves for individual grid points are inverted for shear-wave velocity structure, in order to obtain a 3D velocity model of the crust. Our results indicate shallow low-velocity structures near the suture zone. Moreover, a low-velocity flexure shape in the south of the Zagros Mountain Front Fault could be due to the thick sedimentary basin beneath the Dezful embayment. Relatively an uplifting of the deeper structures beneath Sanandaj-Sirjan and the high Zagros might could be led to high-velocity structures at mid-crustal depths. The variation of shear-wave velocity along the Zagros indicates the inhomogeneous structures along this folding and thrust belt.

Ibrahim Yazdi: His Life and Political Activities in Iran until 1979

Ibrahim Yazdi is considered one of the most mysterious revolutionary figures in Iran, as he worked with the movements opposing the Shah's regime early in his life. His political activity emerged since 1946 when he joined the "Servants of God Socialist" movement, and then became a prominent member of the National Front after the fall of the government. Dr. Muhammad Mossadeq in 1953, after which he emigrated to the United States of America in 1961 and led the opposition movement abroad until 1979, the year in which he returned to the country after a trip of absence that culminated in political activity opposing the Shah's regime. His name was associated with Mr. Khomeini in France and he returned with him to Iran, and although he assumed the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country in the interim government formed by Mehdi Bazarkan, he soon resigned from it following the attack on the American Embassy on November 4, 1979 and its repercussions on Iran and its international isolation. The strongest opponent of the policy of what was known at the time as the "revolutionary government", because he believed that it contradicted the principles of human rights and international treaties.

Assessing the Potential Growth of Iran’s Hospitals with Regard to the Sustainable Management of Medical Tourism

One of the fundamental areas of the tourism industry that has a significant impact on the economy of the host country is medical tourism. Many nations strive to establish a reputation both domestically and abroad. There is intense competition among nations to entice medical tourists, yet the motivating factors and purchasing patterns may be very different for different cultures. Healthcare decision-makers must employ efficient marketing strategies to secure a sustainable market share given the international rise of medical tourism. By interviewing the managers and patients of international hospitals, the current study aims to determine the potential growth of medical services with the idea of medical tourism in Iran. In addition, the basic indicators and significant categories are further distinguished by examining the key stakeholders and the perspectives of international patients toward medical tourism activities in Iran. To the best of our knowledge, the main emphasis in earlier studies was only on time, cost, and quality, although other indicators are needed for stakeholders to be investigated in this area. Despite Iran’s rich natural, historical, and cultural heritage, a long history of political unrest and conflicts between reformists and fundamentalists regarding the benefits of tourism has hurt the industry’s growth. The findings of this study, including the eight categories provided, make medical tourists aware of the cutting-edge technologies being used in the Iranian healthcare sector. It also includes tourist attractions that could be used in future research by employing multicriteria decision-making techniques to identify the most crucial ones for each nation.

Performing Persian poetics on Instagram: an interview with @barkhi_az_honarmandan

ABSTRACT Uncensored, unlike many other social media platforms in Iran, Instagram has become the most popular social media platform among Iranians, providing a space for creative expression including the creation of Instapoetry. Here I offer an interview with the group behind the @barkhi_az_honarmandan account, an Instagram account run by anonymous admins that produces digital poetry. Since Iran and its news form the main focus of this account, the page is actively involved in creating visual poetics as a form of digital activism. In its work, @barkhi_az_honarmandan takes on a performative presence on Instagram and combines visual and literary digital art to create digital contents that reflect. It thus prompts reflections, on news and issues related to Iranian culture and society, by creating engaging digital art with a poetic style and powerful impact. This interview, prefaced with a brief description of the impact of social media visual poetry. It shows that social media and Instapoetry have become vital tools for political dissent and creative expression in Iran, allowing individuals to connect with others and engage in dialogues or political activism in Iran. In particular, the close reading of specific posts and poems by Iranian account demonstrates some of the semiotic codes of Persian language activist online poetry.

Reconceptualising Women’s Activism in Iran and Turkey at the Turn of the 20th Century

Both Atatürk’s and Reza Shah’s reforms and policies regarding women and their rights and roles in the newly established nation states have been criticised for not altering patriarchal gender roles and practices and for eradicating the independent women’s movements which had been hitherto active for decades. However, I argue that there is still a need for a more accurate analysis and reconceptualization of the relationship between the state and the women’s movement in Iran and Turkey at the turn of the 20th century. I propose the concept of ‘reciprocal gain’ as an alternative reading of the relationship between the two in this critical period since it better describes the dynamics of this complex relationship with an emphasis on ‘reciprocity’ and does justice to the agency of the activist women by acknowledging their ‘gain.’ Based on a comparative analysis of the primary and secondary sources on the subject in both countries, this paper reinterprets women’s activism and their dynamic relations with the state and concludes that their activism in this period was pragmatically designed, took strategic forms in the fast-changing political contexts, and managed to insert a great influence on the policies of the nation states.

Assessing the Level of Communicativeness of Activities in Iran's FRDE-based State High School English Textbooks (Prospect and Vision Series)

Assessing the Level of Communicativeness of Activities in Iran's FRDE-based State High School English Textbooks (Prospect and Vision Series)

Cossack Brigade. Founding, Expansion, Activity in Iran

تطرقت هذه الدراسة الى لواء القوزاق الذي تم اقتباسه من النظام العسكري الروسي، وابرز تشكيلاته، وكيفية توسعه، فضلاً عن النشاطات التي قام بها في ايران مع توضيح انعكاساتها على مجمل اوضاع ايران.

“A Priest does not consider the toppling of the Shah as an option” The KGB and the revolution in Iran

AbstractThis paper investigates the activities of the KGB residency in Iran during the 1978–79 revolution and early years of the Islamic Republic. While some foreign experts were quick to point to the KGB as behind the revolution, it soon became clear that Soviet leadership and intelligence were no less surprised with the events than their counterparts in the West. However, this does not mean that Moscow did not see the revolution as an opportunity. The KGB served as one of the principal tools of Soviet attempts to influence the domestic situation in Iran and, although it achieved little in pursuing its goals, KGB activities in Iran reveal the extent to which binary Cold War thinking limited Soviet leadership in dealing with the challenge of the Iranian revolution.

Causes of cost overruns in building construction projects in Asian countries; Iran as a case study

PurposeCost overruns have been identified as the most significant challenge for construction sector stakeholders. Like many developing countries, the Iranian construction industry suffers from poor cost performance. So, the current research aims to investigate the causes of cost overrun in Iranian construction projects. This paper also reviews the findings of similar studies conducted in several Asian countries.Design/methodology/approachThis paper includes a literature review and a quantitative method with a questionnaire survey. The review is limited to the studies investigating the causes of cost overrun in an Asian country in the last decade. Moreover, the current research was conducted through a questionnaire prepared based on 43 common factors identified through the literature review. The required data were gathered from the representatives involved in handling construction activities in Iran. The collected data were analyzed based on relative importance index (RII), using the SPSS software package.FindingsThe results showed that poor site management, improper planning, fluctuation of prices of materials, lack of experience, and poor economic condition are the critical reasons for cost overrun in Iranian construction projects. The findings also indicated that among the studies conducted in Asian countries, the first three factors have the highest frequency.Originality/valueThis paper highlighted most studies concerning the cost overrun factors in construction projects in different Asian countries in recent years. Up-to-date knowledge helps to understand the complexity of this field in various periods and therefore minimizes the risk of cost overrun. This research can also be used as a benchmark for further studies to clarify similar issues in other developing countries.