Evolution of Ethnic Identity in Ahvaz Urban Society (From the Second Pahlavi to the Islamic Republic Period)

In theories of ethnic identity, belonging to an ethnicity varies with respect to ethnic policies, economic conditions, the extent of social system closure, etc., which may lose its role and importance in one period and become the dominant identity in another. The goal of this article is to evaluate the of ethnic identity in the city of Ahvaz from the second Pahlavi era to the Islamic Republic period. The research data were obtained based on the life history technique and through semi-structured qualitative interviews to identify and understand the mentality of people whose lived experience was formed in Ahvaz. To analyze the interviews, the matic content analysis method was used, through which ten primary themes and three central themes were identified. The central themes in the second Pahlavi period is "Ethnic Identity in the Path of Integration", in the period of the revolution until the end of the war is "Ethnic Identity in the path of Differentiation". The results show that compared to the past periods, the Bakhtiari and Arab people in Ahvaz have a greater tendency to identification based on ethnicity, and ethnic identity has become a strong and effective identity in the urban society of Ahvaz.