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University of Warwick institutional repository: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/1133 This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. "An analysis of social and cultural changes in rural Iran, with special reference to the impact of cultural factors on educational change" Hossein Godazgar Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD University of Warwick Department of Sociology January 1999 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables V Acknowledgements vi Summary vii Abbreviations viii Glossary lx Introduction xiii Chapter One Max Weber, modernity and Islam 1 Weberian themes in the sociology of religion 5 5 - Tradition and modernity 12 - Salvation and religious ethics - Relations between religious and socio-economic development 14 15 - Religious professionals Weber's characterisation of Islam 16 Chapter Two Paths to revolution 20 The Tobacco Regie 22 The Constitutional Revolution 23 Oil, nationalism and a coup d'etat 26 The significance of the uprising of 1963 32 Conclusion 47 Chapter Three Theories of the Iranian revolution and its 49 ideological currents The sources of revolutionary ideology 57 The main currents of ideology: 61 61 - Populism 68 - Nationalism 78 - Islamism Conclusion 83 Chapter Four History of Iranian education before 1979 87 Education under the Qajars 87 Educational policies under Reza Shah's reign 91 Mohammad Reza Shah's educational policies 96 Conclusion 106 11 Chapter Five Post-1979 re-organisation of education in Iran 108 Institutional changes 108 Economic situation 114 New philosophy of education 116 Revolution in values 118 Purification and commitment 119 Educational goals of the Islamic Republic of Iran 122 Curriculum and textbooks 125 Women's education 131 Conclusion 136 Chapter Six Curriculum and textbooks: the Islamic factor 139 Research methods 141 Textbooks and curricula 147 Libraries 164 Conclusion 169 Chapter Seven Gendered social interactions and relationships 170 Teachers' relations with students 171 Students' relations with teachers 180 Free time 184 Teachers' Councils 190 Prayers in schools 195 Conclusion 197 Chapter Eight Teachers' responses to educational change 199 Teacher training programmes 200 Teaching and assessing methods 213 `Subject specialist groups' 216 Teachers' relationships with students' parents 219 The relationship with clergy 221 Relationships with the Local Education Authority 224 Relationships with school authorities 227 Teachers' assessmentsand their promotions 228 Job satisfaction and dissatisfaction 229 Working conditions 231 Job security 233 Teachers' social status 234 Conclusion 237 iii Chapter Nine The New System of Education 238 Vocational schools and the `Tarh-e Kad' 239 The philosophy of the New System of Education 242 Differences from the Old System of Education 245 Response to the New System of Education in schools 248 Conclusion 252 Conclusions 254 Appendix 260 Bibliography 261 iv LIST OF TABLES Table I Growth in the number of students, the percentage of 97 each level of education, and the population of Iran between 1940 and 1962 Table 2 Female proportion of total school enrolment 132 Table 3 High school graduates by sex and field, 1975-6 and 135 1989-90 Table 4 The percentage of in-service courses taken by the male 204 teachers of a rural area between 1979-1988 Table 5 The percentage of in-service courses taken by the male 205 teachers of a rural area between 1989-1996 Table 6 The percentage of in-service courses taken by the 205 female teachers of a rural area between 1979-1988 Table 7 The percentage of in-service courses taken by the 206 female teachers of a rural area between 1989-1996 Table 8 The average percentage of in-service courses taken by 209 both male and female teachers of a rural area in the two periods of 1979-1988and 1989-1996 Table 9 The percentage of in-service courses taken by female 212 and male teachers of a rural area during the post- revolutionary period V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to many people without whom this thesis would not have been produced. My sincere thanks go to: Professor J. A. Beckford, a secular saint, whose very professional supervision mixed with his exemplary social behaviour taught me a lot about the theory and practice of studying social action; My mother, Laya Mesgari, whose tolerance of my separation throughout the entire five years of this project will always be appreciated; My father's spirit, who was alway proud of my progress; My wife, Masoumeh Velayati, for taking responsibility for the family while she was herself a student at Warwick, and for her continued forbearance throughout the research, particularly when I was absent on fieldwork; My daughters and sons: Mahdi, Hadi, Faezeh and Mahdieh who never complained of being separated from their father and supported my studies; The University of Tabriz, particularly its Chancellor Dr M. A. Pour-feizi, my colleagues at the Department of Social Sciences and the Faculty, and the Ministry of Higher Education of Iran who awarded me a scholarship and the opportunity to conduct this project; The Local Education Authority of Khoy and the West Azarbaijan Province, the local authorities of `Firuraq', particularly all the administrators, head teachers and teachers who co-operated with me in the collection of data; All of the people who did not hesitate to help me at the University of Warwick. vi SUMMARY The world was shocked by the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979 because it was unexpected and out of keeping with the deposed Shah's attempts at secular modernisation. This thesis attempts to make sociological sense of the implications of the Revolution for education in Iran in terms of ideological influences. The research reported in this thesis attempts to discover the nature of the social and cultural changes that occurred following the 1979 Revolution. Adapting Max Weber's interpretative approach, it focuses on the changing patterns of shared meanings and social relations in schools in one area of North West Iran. Taking a deliberately one-sided approach to educational change, this thesis isolates the impact of Islamic ideology on schools in the area where ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in 1995-96. Interviews, participant observation in schools, questionnaires and analysis of official documents were the chosen methods of research. The aim was to discover how Islamic ideology has been promulgated and how it has affected the day-to-day social relations of school teachers, pupils and administrators as well as their relations with parents and local authority officials. The main findings not only confirm the pervasiveness of Islamic ideology in Iranian schools but also document its influence over matters such as curriculum design and delivery, the segregation of the sexes in schools, and the teachers' conditions of work and professional development. Nevertheless, there is also evidence that the stated aims of educational reform were not always achieved and that some changes were ironic. The findings also showed that the recent history of change in Iranian schools calls for a flexible understanding of such notions as modernity, tradition, patrimonialism, and bureaucracy. Iran has certainly tried to modernise its educational system since 1979 but it has done so in ways which challenge much of the received wisdom about modernisation processes. vii ABBREVIATIONS AIOC Anglo-Iranian Oil Company BP British Petroleum BPET Bureau for Planning and Editing Textbooks CFTES Council for the Fundamental Transformation of the Educational System EANSHSE Executive Affairs for the New System of High School Education GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education IMF International Monetary Fund LEA Local Education Authority NSE New System of Education OCFTES The Office of the Council for the Fundamental Transformation of the Educational System OSE Old System of Education PE Physical Education RE Religious Education UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation IRP Islamic Republic Party vii' GLOSSARY Ad'1 Justice Adabiyyal va ulum-e ensani Humanities and Literature Adalat-khaneh House of justice Ahkam Religious duties Amuzesh-e zemn-e khedmat In-service training course Anjoman-e eslami-e danesh-jouyan Islamic Society of Students Aqa Sir Arbab Master Ashegh Lover Asnaf Guilds Aumzesh-e omumi General education Ayandeh-sazan Builders of the future Bad-hejab Bad-veiling Badan Body Bast Sanctuary Canon-e farhangi-tarbiati Moral-cultural centres Chador Traditional veiling Ruhaniyat Clergy Dabir-khaneh-ye shura-ye taghyeir-e The Office of the Council for the bonyadi-e nezam-e amuzesh va parvaresh Fundamental Transformation of the Educational System Daftar-dar School's administration assistant Danesh-amuzan-e Pish-ahang Corp Students Danesh-gah-e payam-e nur The Open University Danesh-saraye ali Higher Teacher Training College Danesh-saraye ashayeri Tribal Teacher Training College Danesh-saraye moqaddamati Elementary Teacher Training College Danesh-saraye rahnemaei Guidance Teacher Training College Daneshgah-e tarbiat mo'allem University of Teacher Training Diplom-e motavasseteh GCSE Do'a ye Komeil Komeil Prayer Do-shifteh Double shift Dovreh-ye rahnemaei Guidance level (circle) Edareh-ye amuzesh va parvaresh Local

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