The Construction of Religious Identity in Contemporary Iran: A Sociological Perspective

Abstract

This paper examines the connection between educational institutions and religious socialization in the construction of religious identity. It employs socialization theory, which recognizes educational institutions as the first agent and the most powerful engine of socialization. Applying this theory to the case study of Iran reveals the ubiquitous presence of religion in all educational texts, supporting the argument that these educational tools are used as a “strategy” of socialization to protect social unity and group superiority and providing further evidence that the educational system overwhelmingly reflects the ideologies of the dominant culture in the process of socialization.