Relative deprivation and political instability: a case study of protests in November 2018

In less than a decade, Iranian society has experienced several significant political protests. One of the notable instances occurred in November 2019, following a rise in gasoline prices, which led to widespread protests across various cities in Iran and resulted in political instability. The present study focuses on the concept of relative deprivation as a critical factor contributing to these violent protests. Aiming at reducing the potential for political violence in Iranian society, we seek to answer the following question: How did the formation and impact of relative deprivation contribute to the political instability in November 2019? In response, the hypothesis proposed in this paper is as follows: With the onset of President Rouhani’s second administration in 2017, value expectations (concerning welfare, power, and interpersonal relations) among the populace increased, while the means available to achieve these goals diminished. The failure to attain these objectives resulted in the formation of progressive relative deprivation. The research findings indicate that the shock of the gasoline price hike provided an opportunity for the expression of this discontent. This discontent, recontextualized within the framework of new communication channels and internet culture, found a powerful platform in social networks, which played an unparalleled role in spreading dissatisfaction. The result was political instability in November 2019. This paper applies Ted Robert Gurr’s theory of relative deprivation and it is written by process tracing (causal) method. The library method is also used for data collection.