Intense cultural assimilation in the Iranian diaspora: A socilogical explanation

Migration is not merely geographical relocation but a multi-layered process of redefining identity and rebuilding social relations. This theoretical article examines the sociological tendency toward intense cultural assimilation in parts of the Iranian diaspora. The objective is to move beyond reductionist and normative explanations and present a multi-level explanatory model for understanding this phenomenon. This research is a theoretical article (Conceptual Paper) organized through a systematic literature review and conceptual analysis. Classical and contemporary works related to the sociology of migration, diaspora studies, theories of cultural adaptation, status theory, symbolic capital, and media were critically examined. Key concepts were extracted and organized within three analytical levels: pre-migration contextual factors, post-migration mediating mechanisms, and status and identity consequences. The findings demonstrate that intense cultural assimilation cannot be reduced merely to cultural self-loss or individual preferences. Instead, it results from the interaction of historical, cultural, media, and status-related factors. Pre-migration cultural deposits, transnational media representations, structural ruptures, status pressures in the host society, and the effort to accumulate symbolic capital in transnational social fields interact within a causal-interactive structure. This pattern represents one of several possible cultural adaptation strategies among the Iranian diaspora. Intense cultural assimilation is not a sign of absolute passivity or lack of agency but rather a positionally rational strategy for gaining positive distinction and accumulating symbolic capital in transnational social fields. Alongside this pattern, hybrid, multi-layered, and transnational identities are also observable among different sections of the Iranian diaspora. Understanding this phenomenon requires simultaneous attention to social structures, lived experiences, and the status calculations of social actors.

کلیدواژه ها:

iranische Diaspora ، intensive kulturelle Assimilation ، kulturelle Anpassung ، Statusangst ، positionsbezogene Handlungsf&auml ، higkeit ، symbolisches Kapital ، hybride Identit&auml ، T