Ethnic Identity in the Context of Modern Developments and Identity Policies of the Second Pahlavi Period in Ahwaz

Ethnic identity is a fluid phenomenon that, due to social developments, experiences different situations. Ahvaz in the second Pahlavi period, for numerous reasons, including oil reconnaissance, changed its socio-cultural structure. Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to answer the question of what ethnic identity was in this historical period? In other words, was the ethnic identity of the Bakhtiari and Arab peoples strengthened or weakened in the second Pahlavi period? To answer these questions, it used a semi-structured qualitative interview technique with those who had lived in the city during the second Pahlavi period. Research data has been analyzed through the Thematic analysis method, and has extracted the four primary themes of the growth of inter-ethnic interactions, the weakening of ethnic culture, ethnic ignorance, the identity unification policy of the Pahlavi government, and a central theme entitled ethnic identity on the path to integration. The results show that ethnic identity had weakened in that historical period and new identities had emerged in society