On the relationship between peasants (Dehghan) sub-cultural elements and the villager's socio-economic status (Eastern Lajan region case study)

In societies like Iran with cultural diversity, due to different individual and personality characteristics as well as local and regional capacities, the amount of development programs in different regions is different. Hence, considering the peasants’ communities as a homogeneous and integrated texture, as rural development reformers believe, is futile. In the present paper, we try to examine, in classical modernization studies format and with a critical approach, the relationship between peasants’ sub-culture elements, as one of the variable fields in the acceptance or rejection of attitudes, values and norms with villagers’ socio-economic status. The population of this study include the peasants living in villages in the eastern part of Lajan in West Azerbaijan. Using Cochran's formula and rationing method, we obtained 307 samples. The required information was collected through questionnaires and interviews and then, using SPSS statistical software and descriptive and inferential statistical methods appropriate to variables measurement levels, data were analyzed. In this study, the socio-economic status was measured by three indicators of wealth, power and prestige and the peasants’ subculture include variables like mutual distrust in interpersonal relationships, lack of innovation, fatalism, low aspirations, considering immediate interests instead of future interests, lack of need for progress, and lack of empathy among the peasants. Based on the findings, peasants’ sub-culture elements status in this community are relatively good and most of the attitudes and concepts are in agreement with development. Except in rare cases like fatalism that has a religious aspect, other elements are extremely low.