فصلنامه مطالعات فرهنگ - ارتباطات
پیاپی 2 (تابستان 1387)

Caricatures, as independent media or through other media, play an important role in cross-cultural communications and possibly bring about substantial changes to tribes, nations, and states. Examples of this influence can be seen in the Danish insulting caricatures. Based on this event and with the intention of knowing more about the Western caricatures on Islam, this paper, using the method of content analysis, seeks to examine the Western caricatures, and their concepts about Islam.In this regard, the theories of foregrounding and convincing are deemed as the theoretical basis for this study. The results show that the Western caricatures have emphatically depicted Islam and Muslims as violent, anti-West, and hostile to the Western civilization values; they have made a profound impact on the growth of Islam-phobia around the world and particularly in the West.

The Ancient Friday Mosque of Ghazvin, like the other Friday Mosques of Iran, is magnificent. Having four eyvans(vaulted halls), this mosque is shaped rectangular and spread east-west with a melon-like dome. Its distinct inscriptions are of great importance in architecture and calligraphy due to their art, style of writing, and concepts.This article scrutinizes the inscriptions of the mosque (main prayer hall in particular) so as to rediscover it aesthetically. The main prayer hall, called Jafari arch, is believed by archeologists to be built in the Samanid era. The significance of Jafari arch (or Khomartaashi maqsurah), apart from its height, is owing to its four inscriptions that are plaster-moldered in beautiful and fine textures.

Drug addiction is one the major problems in our country. Since the causes of drug addiction are numerous and the inclinations toward it are complicated, there is not a coherent theory to clarify those causes and inclinations; the theories we know, though very important, are not able to explain them. Agnew theory is very significant because it puts forward a new approach toward the sources of abnormality. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to try out Agnew theory practically and to find out how this theory can explain the causes of drug addiction. According to Agnew theory, the main factor in each type of abnormality, including drug addiction, is "strain" and this does not belong to a specific group or class. In other words, the sources of pressure are not bound to the class and each person, regardless of his or her class or group, is exposed to this pressure. In response to this question that why not every person under this pressure turns into abnormality or addiction, Agnew theory proposes a body of interfering factors such as religionism, self confidence,... that reduce the probability of the youth's abnormalities like addiction. Based on the theoretical framework of this study, the survey method (the type of causal-comparative in the method of referring to reality) has been used. To collect data, a questionnaire with high reliability and creditability has been filled out by 400 people. The questionnaires without answers and those with contradictory answers were excluded. Finally, 374 questionnaires were chosen as samples for this study from which 185 were the addict's and 189 were the non-addicts'.The results show that the distribution of strain in the two groups of addicts and non-addicts is different and moves in opposite directions, namely, addicts, compared to non-addicts, are more likely to be exposed to different types of strain. Looking into the interfering variables in the two groups of addicts and non-addicts, we have come to this conclusion that the distribution of these variables among the groups of addicts and non-addicts reflects a meaningful difference; in other words, we can see a much higher degree of self confidence and religionism in the non-addict group than the addict one.

Globalization interactions have generated the processes which have caused transformation in culture realm more than previous trends. This has lead to variations of cultural approaches of human communities. Rejecting any resistance to global culture, liberal / American culture, the first cultural change focuses on cultural integration, decreasing cultural diversity and difference by a passive behavior. Then, it is cultural specialism that introduces ethnic, religious and national natures in all aspects, utilizing the modern communication potentials. The third reaction to the globalization trendis known as cultural diversity. This reaction is not looking for denying global culture, but seeks adjustment, improvement, renovation and coordination with national interest. In the situation influenced by globalization, the government has a prominent as the responsible authority over culture and its influence on non-governmental cultural organizations. Finally, what is important is the cultural engineering and strategic macro management in the crucial situation of globalization. The article will explain more.

Today, body may be an important part of one’s individual and collective life. According to certain objectives and values, the community provides a person skills and techniques in determined ways so that he/she can introduce himself/herself to others through the body. The techniques have their own tools and equipments made by manufacturers and producers and consumed by customer groups; products for health, fitness/good look, beauty, clothing, diet and etc. Each of these social aspects can be studied through certain branches of sociology such as theo-sociology. Theo-sociology studies the relations between body and religion within a social context. A religion is a set of believes, values, lessons and norms that enacts certain mental frameworks, advices and instructions to body. The article will explain more

As we have a large population of youths, the generation gap is an important issue because a big gap in values and social norms between generations will change the family into a battle ground for both parents and children. It also puts the society in a state of chaos in which the authorities can not bear on youths’ values and norms. The article aims to “study the generation gap in terms of religious values in the country” using the existing data. Similar and frequent researches will challenge our need to a research about generation gap in terms of religious values in the society. To answer to this query will define our strategy to handle the phenomenon.According to the theory mentioned here, considering the fast and vast changes it brings and the renewal of society, it is expected to see a significant generation gap in terms of religious values. Do the existing data approve this? To answer the question, the generation gap was classified in two types: in values and in norms; and the subject is studied based on secondary data. The result shows that the gap in religious values is not considerable, but in religious norms it is critical. Then, it is suggested to avoid putting pressure on youths for religious activities and norms, but to focus on enriching Islamic basic values

There are different natural and unnatural social factors that hinder obtaining enough income to cover even the least needs of a family. Gathering together, the factors are the main generator of poverty. Today, resource limitations and increasing expectations makes it difficult to do proper actions. In Islam, the logic of religious taxes, specially the obligatory ones, which are legislated by religious law and are religious main obligations after prayer, is subject to the repair the gap between poor and wealthy class.Unfortunately, our society not only is failed in the repair, but also the gap is increasingly got deeper and bigger. The only way to combat the crises is to utilize the existing local opportunities of different aspects of society (precise distribution of income).Religious taxes are one of the helpful resources that can provide significant financial supply to repair the gap between social classes and to remove poverty. In the article, which is the report of a field study in the city of Shal, Qazvin, the amount of religious taxes (especially one fifth) will be studies. The research result shows that this resource is able to remove poverty, and can remove the poverty line up to 60%.