The Comparative Study of Ethnic Identity and National Identity among Azeri Turkic and Kurdish Students (Case study: City of Miandoab)

Iran is a country with an ethnic diversity that these people have had diverse relationships with each other throughout the history. National solidarity is seen as a prerequisite for the development of the country. The city of Miandoab is one of the areas with two ethnic groups where the Azeri Turkic and Kurdish people live in the region together. Knowing that the Azeri Turkic and Kurdish people emphasize on which type of their identity can increase the understanding of the issue. In the present research, the main question of the research was suggested as follows: Will the weak ties between two people increase the national solidarity? Given the background of the research and available theories, the hypothesis was made as follows: There is a significant relationship between the weak ties between the two ethnic groups and the national / ethnic identity. The research methodology was a surveying one using randomized sampling method. The research findings revealed that the national identity increases with the increased weak ties between the two ethnic groups. Also, as the level of communication of a nation’s people with the people of another nation decreases, their ethnic identity rate will increase as a result. The result of the study indicated that one of the most important factors in strengthening national identity is the extent of communication and relationship between the people of ethnic groups. With the increased relationships between ethnic groups, the national identity, and consequently, the national solidarity will also be strengthened.