Understanding the Ethnic Discrimination and Inequality in Iranian Universities: Case Study of the Turks and Kurds

The situation of ethnic minorities in Iran in terms of ethnic discrimination and inequality has been the subject of concerns and public debates both inside and outside Iran for decades, but the actual and concrete experiences of the ethnic groups within the modern institutions of Iran has rarely been the subject of empirical studies. The study of lived experiences of the Turks and Kurds within an influential institution like the university can deepen our knowledge of the ethnic functions of modern institutions in Iran. Therefore, using the qualitative and phenomenological approach, this article studies the ethnic lived experiences of the Kurdish and Turkish students focusing on experiences of discrimination and inequality in four universities in Iran. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews conducted with 35 students. Data were analyzed using the thematic analysis technique that resulted in 3 main themes and 8 sub-themes. The findings show that the university experiences for the Kurdish and Turkish students especially for the latter includes significant aspects of the sense of ethnic discrimination and inequality occurring especially around two lines of language and religion.