نشریه مطالعات جامعه شناختی
پیاپی 42 (بهار و تابستان 1392)

The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical analysis of the relationship between philosophy and social science. It is attempted to study, criticize, and synthesize different ideas and theories regarding the mentioned relationship. The writer concludes that, instead of any confrontation there has been a coexistence and connection between science and philosophy. This holds true concerning the relationship between social science and philosophy. Unlike all ups and downs in their relationship social science needs metaphysics and epistemology. This goes on the extend that some claim that social science both gives birth to philosophy and is born by philosophy. Furthermore, social science is in close relationship with such as literature and arts in the late decades of the twentieth century.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the relation between cultural capital and body management based on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory. In other words this research addresses this question: how cultural capital relates to body management? The statistical population of this research includes all men and women between the ages of 20 to 59 who reside in the city of Tehran. A sample of 350 men and women, based on Random Systemic Sampling technique are surveyed. A researcher’s constructed questionnaire has been used as the main instrument to gather information.
The results of examining correlations indicate that there is a direct and significant relationship between cultural capital and body management. The findings also indicate that age, gender, marital status, religious beliefs, economic capital and socio‐economical status are significantly related to body management.
Moreover, the outcomes of the multi‐variate regression analysis indicate socio‐economic and marital status variables cannot predict Body Management with an acceptable confidence level, therefore were omitted from the regression equation.

Inrecent decades literary theory doesn’t limit itself to the text or the author, and pays attention to the readers and the quality of their understanding of a literary text. Now, the reader as an active audience in understanding of a literary text has taken a role in the creation of a work by an author. This point is observable in the reading of literary works written about the Iraqi war against Iran. Since these works intend to transfer the post-war values to the next generation, so the reader understanding of those works can be considered very important. Using the views of thinkers such as Wolfgang Iser, Stanley Fish and Julia Kristeva, this paper intends to reach the understanding of the readers of imposed war novels. For this purpose, using a qualitative analysis of the content of the mentioned novels and doing deep interviews, we have conducted a research among two groups of university and religious schools students. The results show that there is a difference between two groups of students in some respects such as the spiritual view of the students of religious schools and the worldly views of the students of universities towards these types of novels.

The authors of this paper , in an attempt to indicate the relationship between making myths and election ads, have analyzed the outdoors political posters in Iran’s eighth parliamentary elections. To address the issue, at first the writers have reviewed a literature concerning Bart’s definition of myth and the role of making myths in political campaign. Then, applying Barth’s semiotic theory, the second level of meaning embedded in the candidates outdoor political posters distributed during the eighth parliamentary elections in Tehran are explored. The results indicate that all outdoor political posters contain a kind of myth making and two recognized political groups, namely reformist and right wings show no difference in this respect. Furthermore, some types of political myths, including territory, advocate, knowledge, and hero, are more used in the Iranian political ads.

Explaining the historical individual in its historicity and specificity has been the proclaimed goal of social science. The founding fathers of historical school strove hardly to explain the theoretical conditions of fulfilling this goal. However, they failed to properly preventing universalism from becoming dominant on social science. The present article seeks to show how the theorists of historical school address this issue and why they fail. In this way, two main factors which prevent an explanation from being immanent, namely the priority of presentation and mundane ontology, have been explored. In the final step by invoking to "post-continental philosophy" we try to find a new social ontology which may pave the way for theoretical explanation of historical specificity.

This paper explores the relation of language and life in contemporary Iranian society. Our theoretical perspective concerning life and language is based on later Wittgenstein and early Heidegger philosophical debates. After introducing the roots of the philosophical and sociological equivalent in contemporary sociologists the provided conceptual framework has been assessed. Accordingly, Foucauldian discourse and its sociological version by Laclau & Mouffe have been set for this research. After determining of theoretical boundaries, Discourse Analysis is accepted as research method. Research data has collected by semi-structured interview with doctors and merchants. The results from the analysis of language games and discursive practices of interviewees, introduce three discursive formations; scientific discourse, civil discourse and religious discourse. The Comparison of the interviews clarify that language games and discursive practices of every formation, produce distinctive discursive constellation which make social agent life meaningful. Relying on theoretical debates, social existence and life order in contemporary Iranian society can be understood from the perspective of language. Linguistic perspective raise a new understanding of social relations that classic ideas were unable to explain. This paper argues that language is a window to understand the complexities of contemporary Iranian society, and is able to advance sociological theory.

Social sciences in Iran face some epistemological obstacles that prevent its development and an attempt to discuss the nature of these obstacles seems very important. An important part of these obstacles refers to the theoretical traditions that have developed in religious culture and nowadays are known as a part of Islamic culture. Discussion about the interpretation of each of these traditions, in concept of “Aql” (reason, intellect) as the main epistemological way in forming social sciences, will help us to involve the “critique of Aql”. By determination of the limitations of “Aql”, we will be aware of our culture’s limitations and abilities in encountering social sciences.
Shiite philosophy is one the most important of these traditions that in the form of “Hekmat e motealie” was the main stream of the philosophy in Iranian traditional Islamic schools (Howza) from the time of Safavid dynasty. In this regard critique of the writings of Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, because of two main reasons is important. First, he is one of the main followers of Allameh Tabatabaei, the most famous figure of contemporary Shiite philosophy, and second, Javadi Amoli,s theory of “Islamisation of sciences” is important.
The main point of this paper is that, believing on the possibility of reaching certainty among Shiite philosophers on one hand and, rejecting “Aql” on the basis of sufficiency of holy texts (Quran and Hadith) among the Faghih’s on the other hand are two main epistemological reasons that critique of “Aql” has not been developed yet in Shiite tradition. Inattention to history, mainly history of evolutions of “Aql” is another reason for lack of “critique of Aql” in Shiite philosophy.

In the present paper, the authors have attempted to explore Iranian students’ usese and gratifications of television, satellite channels and Internet. Based on the theory of uses and gratifications, there is a competition among media to satisfy audiences’ needs, and we are aimed at comparing the extent of uses and gratifications of these three media by Iranian students. Students’ gratifications of media are measured by Katz’s Model in four aspects including awareness, social mutual action, personal identity and calmness/recreation. The findings indicate that the extent of students’ uses and gratifications on Internet is higher than other media. Internet has been able to meet all the above mentioned categories. Students’ gratifications on satellite channels is more in calmness/recreation need, while the scores on using televisions are not so high for any mentioned needs. It is indicated that 72% of Iranian students use television programs while this figure is 54% for satellite channels and 83% for Internet. The findings of correlation tests indicate that there is a positive correlation between uses and gratifications of all three media.

The goal of this article is to indentify some consequences of the long distance of workplace and home. Long distance commuting is a problem resulted from living in modern cities, in particular metropolitans. Simmel introduced pathological consequences such as blasé, reification, and internal distance among city dwellers and suggested to remove the consequences, attendance in and belonging to small and primary groups are extremely important. Accordingly, in this paper, based on Simmel’s ideas we argue that those city dwellers who commute a long distance between their residence and their work location have less time to attend in small and primary groups and, as a result may face blasé and internal distance. Our findings from a sample of long distance commuters living in Tehran support the theoretical concepts suggested by Sommel.

Despite the accepted research on the impact of genetic and neurological factors on the subjective well-being , some social science researchers have shown that social factors in explaining subjective well-being are more effective role than genetic factors. Inglehart has shown that 80 percent of subjective well-being can be explained by social and historical factors. This article will answer the question that whether social factors can explain subjective well-being. In order to assess the levels of subjective well-being among Iranian people in comparison with other countries we have used data from National universal values. The results show that the average Iranians subjective well-being is 61/65 that comparatively is below the Protestant countries with high levels of material welfare and higher than communist countries with low levels of material welfare. Factors affecting the subjective well-being include feeling healthy, having freedom in life and background variables of gender, income and marital status that confirms Inglehart’s and Easterlin’s opinions. Simultaneous entry of these factors in the ordinal logistic regression shows that these elements can explain the subjective well-being to the extent of 14/2 to 32/4 percent.

Imam Khomeini’s thought, founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has had a great influence on the growth and flourishing of contemporary Iranian society. Imam Khomeini’s thoughts has been widely discussed in various intellectual areas such as jurisprudence, theosophy, philosophy and theology, and, in particular, his political thought has been considered as an important source for understanding of Islamic revolution in Iran by domestic and foreign scholars. Therefore, studying and analyzing his political thought as the first Vali Faqih and a great political leader in the Shieah World in the Age of Absence, particularly with attention to the recent political movements in Islamic countries, are of great importance. Accordingly, in this paper, we have attempted to review Imam Khomeini’s political thoughts and make a comparison to contemporary Currents of Thought in Islamic world. We have reviewed Sahife Noor and Velayat Faqih as the main sources of political thoughts of Imam and reached a type of political thought based on William Shepherd's typology. We have indicated that Imam Khomeini’s political thought, compared with the Currents of Thought described in Shepherd's typology, comes close to the "Islamic Shariah".