Life style patterns in Iran

Introduction

Discussion about the styles of life in Iran is affected by the debate about the nature of "life style" and its position in the social sciences and specifically in sociology. Therefore, in this paper, at first, a brief definition of the word "lifestyle" will be said and also its position in sociology and comments related to the expression will be presented, and then we will discuss a variety of styles of life in Iran.
Patterns of life style has not found a specific position in Iran and among the people who have ideas conceptually and empirically. Therefore, any discussion on this issue at the same time which can be helpful, can also provide a misunderstanding about this subject. So in this article we do not try to offer the Iranians lifestyle pattern, and just all kinds of life styles in Iran will be discussed and analyzed.

1. What does the "lifestyle" mean?

In the case of "lifestyle" multiple interpretations has been offered. For example, in a definition of "lifestyle" as a model of social action that has been interpreted as a distinguish aspect from people (ZOKAEI, 1386: 23) and social groups from each other. In this definition the emphasis on the "pattern of social action" is distinguish aspect of this concept with other concepts such as social class. In another definition has been stated: "lifestyle" is the way of life that express attitudes and values of an individual or a group (Walt, 2002).
Because of differences between individuals and social groups from each other, There are millions of the definition of "lifestyle", of course, if people like each other and social groups are not distinct from each other (impossible assumption), we do not have "lifestyle" as much as the human population.
"Lifestyle" is from the today’s concept of social sciences which are used by many of people.
"Lifestyle" concept used by many of today's social sciences. After introducing the concept of "lifestyle" and its popularity among the new generation of researchers, compared with the concepts of social stratification and social class, many criticisms have been entered about this subject. Some people have considered this concept as vague one and in front of them, some others in defense of concept of social stratification have provided the presented fundamental concepts by defenders of "lifestyle" such as habits, eating, dressing, eating, talking, traveling, spending the leisure time, and etc. (Willett, C. Walter, 2002).
This concept among the recent decades and specifically with the study of Pierre Bourdieu and his followers have been gotten more attention. He in the book "distinction" has criticized class perspective with a focus on economics. And he knows modern society as the distinction society based on being the capital of cultural, social and economy. Therefore, the society which is in the of Bourdieu’s opinion is both more complex and more developed from the society which Marx and Weber have spoken about it. He knows the code of survival and development of the new society on the distinctions of social, cultural and economic and say that is not only on the economy. Bourdieu to explain this meaning has used from the new concept system, such as taste, the field, type of assets and especially cultural assets and "lifestyle".
The point that in the "lifestyle" discussion present as a approach to understanding contemporary modern society is the lack of unity and solidarity on the basis of social class. Therefore, in the contemporary society, there are different individuals and social groups that collection of their unwanted behavior, tells a regulated community. Individuals and social groups are distinct with the identity research process from each other, did not have intent and opportunity and need in conflict with each other and on the other hand they do not intend to live in complete isolation. Therefore, individuals and social groups during interacts within the society are located on two differentiation process and organized linked and have particular agency.
The centrality of the "lifestyle", is differentiated individual and groups. With a little carelessness can be linked the presented discussed in the "lifestyle" with Thorsten Veblen's theory about upper class. He claims that the wealthy members of American social are trying to imitate the "lifestyle" categories of the top level of European countries. They exhibit obtained wealth to multiple forms of functional and behavioral. Veblen has said this behavior with the phrase of "conspicuous consumption".
Becoming the centrality of consumption either hypocritically or real of it prevailed on the field of modern social and the major efforts of the people in big cities become consumes the provided goods by the vendors. Becoming the centrality of consumption of people in modern cities combined with new styles of life and each one effects on the other.

2. The modern world and "lifestyle"

"Lifestyle" is a concept that used to be to understand the new conditions which has come in the life of people in the big cities because large and new cities with the more organized consumption and recreational structures and individuals and social groups, not for work and attempt but also have come to use and display offering new lifestyles. They unlike the old tradition that came for refreshment in the main square of the town, located in the town to defend from the new life; because there is no massive invasion of enemy in the modern era. Therefore, the need to design a fort to deal with surprise attacks by unknown individuals is not essential. In contrast, if there is an enemy, the enemy is known and lives with everyone. Enemy of modern man lives with modern man. Although the modern man knows that consumption of offered goods is required more work, but feels that his identity is to buy goods and instantaneous consumption. Therefore, the element that distinguishes between work and life, work and consumption, work and benefit from use of the product and so cannot be seen.

3. The evolution of the concept of "lifestyle"

The most fundamental concept which we search in this article and want to express it is identifying the "lifestyle" and then identifying available patterns of "lifestyle" in Iran. Before entering the main argument paying attention to the notes and the following principles seems to be important:
Without belonging to the particular tradition of thought and opinion, there is no detailed discussion to offer. This principle in the case of "lifestyle" is true in Iran; because those who talk about the "lifestyle" are in somehow belongs to the post-modern sociology, sociology of post-Weberian, sociology of Nemo Simmelian, and sociology of Veblen. Of course, all those who argue in this area are not affected by the same approach. Accepting the opinion of Veblen is not like accepting the idea of Weber or Marx and also postmodern, however, these are not in conflict with each other. So familiarity and belonging to this tradition that at least different from the current tradition of American empirical sociology and sociology of European philosophical theoretical, is essential. In the tradition the principle is not to express the social statistics or providing lengthy theoretical and conceptual discussion. Sociologists should be aware of his surrounding environment and provide accurate narrative from the changes. So belonging to a certain tradition of non-empirical sociology, non-statistical, and non-philosophical and pragmatic imagination, could be arrive to identify new situation in contemporary society.
If you disregard this principle, we will make hallucinogenic, especially for Iranians, who are mostly theoretically knows about modernity so the origin of hallucinogenic become more. On the other hand, entry into the midst of an argument not only has no avail for Iranians, but also has also some losses. It seems that the example of talking about modernism, modernity, postmodernism, and so on, talking about the "lifestyle" will have the same fate because more than this that we get benefit from the modern discussion, we enter it without the least consideration into it . We do not know where we are. In the "lifestyle" discussion, also probably our destiny will be the same, so we should be careful and do this discussion with the patient to get the solution.
Without hasten to provide the right solution, it is better to do more discussion and contemplation because measured meditations in any field can be a part from theoretical history of our Iran and remains for us.
The "lifestyle" subject on the situation which was formed in the West world which that society was reached to a stable condition socially and structurally, which means that to a large extent at the end areas of thought, political action and economic behavior was evident. In other words, belief in stability and wanting the stable thing was bright and clear. One of the attributes of this community which was largely stable, is its classes. For all those who work in the social sciences, the West society is quite a society with different classes, so because it is quite a society with different classes, providing discussion is focused on the interests and benefits of classes and groups and has certain feedback. For example, when in the West (especially in England) was raised a new field called cultural studies, supporters and opponents were known, and were allowed to talk and criticize. Therefore, it is issued the allowance of many unwritten, established the field, hired a professor, authoring the book, established association, founded seats and halls for lectures, pay money for research and a lot of things related to cultural studies and also its criticism became possible. Some agree and some disagree of discussion and a lot of writing and research in this area began. So much the market of cultural studies heated which impressed the international area and more universities in different countries during the subsequent years (after 1950s) until today notice of this field and become claims and counterclaims of it. But in comparison If you look at Iranian society, without a clear understanding of this field, you want to disagree with it and some are the official to repress it and speak about the death of unestablished cultural studies and dismissal of teachers in this field, and pressure and do suppression towards this people and pressure and deprivation increasing up to a level that we become suspicious about the religion, morality, science, knowledge and scientific and research experience of these people.
Cultural studies, "lifestyle", usage, and many other new issues which is raised in this country, has a long history, although it has been raised in the past two decades. Clear and definite history of this discussion goes back to the twenties and thirties of the twentieth century, however comprehensive attention to it goes back to the 1970s onwards.
Talk about "lifestyle" as a part of contemporary social science literature -that proposed sometimes in the postmodern literature and sometimes in the field of cultural studies- is new. But the basis of this discussion in the West focused on an especial situation of a stable society, a society that in a sense has a classified mechanisms. This means that task and structural components of the social system is obvious.
Another point that is related to the previous point, the created development of cognition knowledge and giving the legitimacy to this discussion. In contrast, this question that the discussion as "lifestyle" Where and under what circumstances has been created, it is necessary to consider a bit into the history of social thought. We are facing on social thought with a period where new debate about the nature of society in comparison with political issue, economic issue, and cultural affairs, has been created. At the beginning of we reached to a period historically that there are not distinction of the social affairs from other things; the period in which something called the social affairs and cultural and community affairs does not exist, and was not recognized. This is visible particularly in the Classical Age and the Age before the modern times.
Plato, Aristotle, al-Farabi and generally most of thinkers of this generation are the people who talk less about the social, cultural affairs and if they say anything, their opinion has been about the political fields and they speak more about the state, government, ruler and power.
If we face with these ideas in some situations, you can refer to the deep discussion concept of society and where that there is a focus on the social issue, less value and importance is given to the political issue. While in the past (the classic of social philosophy) has been completely reversed, and the centrality was on the political issue compare to the social one. In the pre-modern era, the evolution happened in the field of the state, the government, political groups and influential in the world and tribal system, but in the modern era, the economic issue has more importance and the major evolution happens in the field of economy, society and economic organization and in fact modern world and modernity, with become more serious in the field of economy and crystallization and doing economic affairs, showed itself and entered to a new era.
People like Marx that argued in this area, celebrate the birth and life of Economic Affairs completely and declare that modernity has the economic nature and its mechanisms is more economical compare with political, social and cultural. From this point of view, Marxism is criticism and critical discussion takes place in the world. On this basis, society has a membrane and skin conditions and including the belief to the components, variables and economic elements and followed by this situation that a series of thinkers like Weber and Veblen- who basically do not have this kind of attitude and a do a social criticism from the political affairs- have emerged and perform to defend from the society that has cultural and social nature.
The birth of modern society was after the First World War. In modern society the social and cultural affairs has centralization compare to the political and economical of it. This is belongs to the contemporary era, contemporary means 60 and 70 of recent years in the West, it means when the society changed and then the social and cultural affairs against the political and economic affairs find more important and new component updated that was mentioned to one of them;
Classified system. Having classification is the most important element in the Western society. System of classified society means a society that has certain mechanisms of its class. The state of society in terms of high, middle and low level is known and the society with organize a thing such as a "classified system" finds identity and mechanism. Is not the old society before the modern era as a class one? What about the feudalism period or the period before First World War? The answer is yes, but I must say that it was a class society only with two class. The ruling class and the masses one, and in fact there is no class such thing that we know as middle class in it, and did not attend. What was done in the new period was the formation of a middle class with a certain identity. In the contemporary era Size and weight of its class become much more and found suitability for deployment and life. We believe that people and thinkers like Marx, their betrayal to the humanity has not been for their defense from communism. Even according to the concept of justice and discrimination is credit for him, but his mistake is about the incorrect removal of them about the middle class and ignoring this class on behalf of anyone in the modern world is a betrayal. In this respect we are criticizing Marx and seriously believe that Marx's incompetence as a social thinker is to reduce the share of the middle class and after him others made this mistake and explain social movements in this way. Those who speak more about the social justice or the ones that are talking about the distribution and inequality, it seems basically as the epistemology eliminate the proportion of the middle class and in a sense are those who do not recognize the element as a modern society.
What was said has both academic standing and experimental position, however, it must be discussed more among the academic people, but its layout is practically useful and is binding; because when a society becomes modern and found civilization and the social and cultural affairs dominance on the economic and political affairs a clear and moderation concept from the community occur. In other words, modern society is recognized; a society with classified system and the centrality of an element which is called middle class. This middle class in contemporary society has tasks, roles and benefits and of course disadvantages, which means that premodern society was a retractable society, but this new society is not like it. The new society is very open and is so-called post-modern society; a society that focus on the middle class, groups and modern man who has been released. A society with middle class- center has many problem. Because this community is so extended and expanded so it is the center of changes and is changed much. In these communities, If a place becomes an area to produce and business, A place can be considered also for social and cultural events, So in modern societies the role of managers and planners gradually faded and then the central role will be given to the middle class and theoretically and conceptually a major event will occurs that is the emergence of "modern man". A human who are less alien, less loner and eventually less unruly and rebellious. Although the opinion of last thinkers about the modern man was the same man and spoke about it, but none of the thinkers of the period before the First World War are not clearly talking about the modern man. The human who is at the center of decision, action and need, it means has a kind of relatively social and cultural emergence compare to economic and political emergence and this human are different from the modern humans. As a result, it can be claimed that under the developments mentioned two major events occur both conceptually and empirically. First find the transparency of modern society which means the class society with a share of middle class in it, and second is discussion about the modern man; a decisive and effective man.
Due to the above points, in the case of Iran it can be found several points: First, if in Iran "discussion" will be accepted, "Criticism" should also be recognized. Second, Iran is a quite classified society. Third, when we can defend from the community of Iran that we recognize its classified system. Fourth, they who do not recognize the classified system of Iran, do not recognize the Iranian society. Fifth, at the center of classified system of the Iranian society, the most serious concerns is the middle class issue and the middle class elements are more determinative. For example, "Constitutional Revolution" is one of the most important events of the Iranian society. Those who are determinative on the constitutional revolution, were not from the downstairs class and were not from upstairs class but they were from the middle class. This class not only is designed the foundation of change but also is the factor of doing it. So it should be discussed as upper than the idea of Marks. The purpose of this approach is making the middle class as the important class and not the wealthy class. Sixth, in Iranian society, both in terms of ideas and also in terms of experimental and practical the middle class has found the centralization. Seventh, in the literature of Iranian society has tried to ignore and neglect the middle class. Eighth the Iranian society has been the generation society and the organization of this society in terms of generation has been possible. Ninth, to settle the Iranian society is in terms of gender and subsequently attitudes, conflict and sexual behavior, and tenth finally is the urban and citizenship discussion. These cases are new component that in Iran society have refused. If we get together these issues and discussion and look at them in one point, then a new social philosophy formed and in it the talk about the "life style" and consumption will be meaningful.
We have four basis for the social action of the today Iranians: One of them is the focus of the class, second is generation, third is gender, and fourth civilization in this mean of the concept of modern urban society that I think. This mean can be seen in the expression of many Western scholars. Including Bakak that writes:
"Cities such as Berlin, Paris, Glasgow, New York and Chicago, from the 1890s until the beginning of the First World War, expanded the transport network and developed large central stores. Paris by Havsman become the city's boulevards, such boulevards that not only for the soldiers to control the rebellion of the poor people, but also for some wander people who walk in the streets, show their clothes and watch showcase of the stores. Simmel perceived the Berlin and late nineteenth century, the town where with the new immigrants, especially from the East, such as Poland who came to live in it, was already swelling. Simmel, in his article argues about the "Metropolis and Mental Life" that the modern city is not "an identity space with the results of sociological, but is an identity sociological which is shaped in such a space." Cities around the center of state or around the specific industries, form from steelmaking to spinning action. Shops and leisure facilities of cities, such as showing houses, music halls, sports stadiums and later cinemas were all to satisfy the needs of social and psychological of the residents of the cities and also new cities (Bakak, 1381: 24-23).
It seems that in practice the Iranians, effectiveness of the class is much more important than others. After that, respectively, generation, gender and is the discussion about the modern city that is, if we believe the priority about the effectiveness of and basis for the Iranians we can say that the classified field is much more determinative and generation, gender, then modern city and being urban is from the next elements; Because many times civility and being urban were gotten more rather than the assignment to gender, race or a particular class. On the other hand before the presence in the field of class, the generation and gender, we are "urban".
The continuation factor of all these elements in the Iranian Contemporary world is the "consumption" in the community and consumption is the place of multiple styles of life. Bakak has recounted this means well in the book of consumption:
As we said, the writings of these two sociologists (Veblen and Simmel) because of the two world wars and the rise of fascism in Europe was forgotten. With the resumption of the study and analysis of consumption in the 1980s, sociologists were interested once again to their work. Veblen and Simmel, when new stores were opened for the first time, they began their sociology about the ways of life in Western societies. These large stores under one roof were offered a variety of goods to their buyer, from grocery, furniture, clothing, Earthenware containers, kitchen utensils, to new electric vehicles which were produced for mass consumption in the market. However, grocery store, butcher, fishmonger, bakery and vegetable stores were in the shopping local area, but large stories rather than local stories provide the possibility to choose more. Large stores in downtown area, they came all at once that the tram, electric buses, and rail were built to bring people from far-flung suburbs to the city center.
Compared with the Western society primacy and recency can be seen in our practice by this explaining what we are talking about Western society and what we are talking about Iranian society, we are speaking about a change position and it is that the community which we face with it in the modern era has a new character with the centrality of the social, cultural, political and economic, which also it is seen in the West. But in the Iranian society has happened an unwanted event, which means that what we have achieved -unlike the West land- is not after the crisis in the capitalist system, but it is with a moral and thought crisis. In other words, what we have achieved, has not associated with the crisis of production and capitalism. With this account we are speaking about the society, from things which are known as social and cultural affairs. In the new community, place for new events such as fashion, consumption, comfort, luxury, coverage, makeup, body care, recreation, fun and eventually variety of styles of living are taken into account.

4. What is "life style" in Iran

According to the above description, we arrived to the theoretical, experimental and realistic position of "lifestyle". Now the time has come to determine that what is the "lifestyle" and how it can effect on the source of our social and cultural system? About this that where “lifestyle” is achieved, it can be noted to the above position of sense but the concept of the "lifestyle" should be followed in a historical evolution. For example, if we look at Vali Asr Avenue, the West settlements, Iran Zamin, Pasdaran street, NARMAK street, Enghelab street and see how society works, although the present objective observation is a good way to understand the new conditions of society, But it does not express all reality, In other words, if we do not have a historical approach about the issue, we cannot find ability to understand how organized and the emergence of contemporary Iranian society and do not extracted something in terms of social planning. It seems that what is important for us is the social commitment and political commitment. These commitment paying attention to ambient conditions will become more visible which is related to the historical past and the way of changing in the Iranian society and from this is from this view which the nature and variety of "lifestyle” of Iranian society is achieved.
This kind of argument, the patterns of our "lifestyle" become more commitment to the social and cultural rather than the commitment to the political and the economics of it. In other words, today’s human is more contender about the organizing and managing of society in terms of cultural and social rather than the monotony of the society in terms of political and economic.
Now we must come back to the action elements and centers of the Iranian contemporary society for explaining what the word "lifestyle" mean. It should be noted that this discussion is fundamentally is the distinction discussion; this means that we face with a concept of the social and cultural distinctions and then speak about a situation that is not possible to become to three areas or two level (upstairs and downstairs). So basically "life style" is the ways of expressing social and cultural distinctions. Recalls that this methods in Iranian society affected by the four elements of class, generation, gender and the urbanite. These four elements are also combined and intertwined, which means that it is not a classified period or generation of Iranian society have been finished or having generation is only belong to the characteristics of this society.
As a result of this intertwining, the presence of new social forces will mean. The forces that in the consumer market will do a series of activities and in addition to effectiveness in the field of buying and selling, organize the context of Iranians social life. So a consolidated state between these components and the four mentioned elements created and here that the Iranian person as an Iranian modern man appear and with a special form show himself in various positions.
Now Iranian modern man is seeking about the distinction, the distinctions which do not have only classified aspects, but also have other kinds of distinction accompany with it, now all of distinction is not between rural and urban. With looking at the profile of people can understand how many people have deleted their suffix!
Now if this question rise that there is basically a different typology about the "lifestyle" of Iranian society, it means that can we say that there are three, four, ten or fifteen different types of "lifestyle" in Iran or not? The answer is no and until now the Iranian community has not reached to such a situation that base on it we can achieved an obvious judgment about the types of lifestyles in it.
One of the main features of the style of life of the Iranian society is the "diversity" of it. This means that we are facing with such a plurality situation in the field of social practice which the counts of the variety of life styles in it is not possible, Also during the recent history, trying to suppress the middle class and removing new lifestyles have been done. That is why the second feature of Iranian life style is being "in the shadow”. Therefore, with the activation of the middle class, new lifestyles enters and on the contrary, by limiting society in terms of class and reduction of its society to two classes, it means rich and poor, the lifestyles puts in the shadow and spreads.
Iranian life style influenced much more with family and religion, these styles, has a shadow existence with and within the family and religious system and while has the religious and common features, due to the presence of several type of families will become diverse.
Some of our life styles has religious mechanism and other family structure, also some of the lifestyles are extra-class and others belong to certain social groups. These items are wide variety of styles and forms of life in Iran, for example, now there are different approaches to spend leisure time activities, shows the different styles of life in Iran.

5. Conclusion

Although there are the concept of "lifestyle" as implied in the ideas and opinions of Max Weber, Thorsten and Veblen, but its creation belongs to the past two decades and influenced by the work of Pierre Bourdieu and evolution in the class system and the formation of urban life with youth and new generation. As mentioned above, "lifestyle" in the modern position (urban) has been achieved with a focus on the middle class, women, youth, and consumption. In this case in a society where the oppression of the middle class is followed as the policy, life styles has located in the shadow and on the contrary with strengthening of middle class, mentioned styles will find the possibility of emergence and the society will be changed. However, the "lifestyle" of Iranian society has a specific pattern, diversity, consumption-oriented and middle class, family, religion, modern man and urban life are the main characteristic of this "lifestyle". It is due to these considerations that can say about the Iranian “lifestyle" according to the historical and cultural backgrounds.