A Qualitative Study of Border Marketplaces and their Impacts on Continuation of Smuggling

Marketplaces and trade free zones are the objective places for economic interactions among people in a large scale. Along the organizational and non-organizational preparations, marketplace is one of pivotal contexts of achieving special aspects of economic action which has been established in order to arrange informal economic and cultural relations of borderers in both sides of the border. Iran’s earthly borders – both mainland and watery- is about 574.8 km, with a cultural and ethnic diversity. There are about 54 border markets in these borderline strips that are so important and need special attention and study. Border markets have an impact on negative consequences of smuggling and smugglers and backers, declining the extent of latent economy. These markets can be studied in several aspects. Accordingly, the function of a formal market (Bashmaq) and two interims (Dareweran & Piran),the smuggling phenomena in Marivan was constantly one of the most pivotal problems that has agonized and occupied responsible correlated organizations in different periods; and it has influenced life and environments of the region’s people in various ways. The original subject of this inquiry is the study of the effects of border markets on smuggling in Marivan city. Then it is reconstructed using qualitative method and also the perception & explanation of people who are settled in this region. Based on the present study, people of the region, as creative actors, can percept and clarify the role of marketplaces in smuggling changes in Marivan city. This paper is based on qualitative methodology and critical anthropological method. A critical anthropological research has a critical standpoint and tries to understand the unequal condition of society that brings a system of unjust power, privilege, advantage and authority along and influences people, classes, ethnics and genders; such a method is useful by informing people for challenging hostile conditions (Croswell, 1998:37; Iman, 2009: 316). The research findings are provided by the aid of deep interview, participation observation and documentary technics. The credibility, transferability, confidence and criterions are among those scientific indexes that are tried to be present throughout the whole research. The sampling mode of this research is based on paradigmatically supposition. In this mode of sampling, by following a process of gradual selection, the researcher, during compilation of data, will add new cases to the older samples according to current changes in the research scheme. These cases which have been selected at engendered occasions are momentous instances and key informants on the research subject. By this method, 27 key informants were interviewed to arrive at theoretical saturation. Key informants or newsy gatekeepers are native and involved people in smuggling in boundary region of Marivan. The Grounded theory method” was utilized for data analyzing. GTM is a special methodology based on explanatory – constructional foundations which was invented and expanded by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss in 1967. In this method, data is coded in three stages of coding (open, pivotal, and selective coding). During these three steps, sensitive concepts, significant and core categories will be revealed.Discussion of Results & As it is summed up in our model, it can be admitted that due to the perceptions and explanations of research participants, although markets result from restriction and reduction in the oldest modes of smuggling phenomenon, they have indirectly continued it in new and several modes because of various problems such as: intricate and dissuasive bureaucracy, vulnerability and inefficiency of interior surveillance system of markets, situational disorder and out-structural oppression. As it is demonstrated in the model, finally the findings emphasize the changed effects of smuggling phenomenon on its constitutive factors. In other words, informal actions of smuggling phenomenon that is now current in borders and boundary markets of Marivan, reinforce its formation and genesis contexts. So this makes it harder for markets to achieve one of their vital goals, that is, eliminating and deleting smuggling completely. In the end, various out–structural oppression such as: Organizational and ecological and livelihood makes it possible for smuggling phenomenon to be maintained in different changeable modes and this phenomenon subsequently reproduces its own former continuative conditions.