Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

Abstract The primary function of the humanities and social sciences is to understand and address societal issues and problems, a task that is increasingly complex and specialized through interdisciplinary studies and fields. Even when disciplinary expertise fails to comprehend and resolve these problems, interdisciplinary approaches assume this role with enhanced capabilities, employing multidimensional and multilevel methodologies and epistemologies. The premise of this paper is that, in contemporary Iran, there are no acceptable theories or theorists in the field of interdisciplinary studies that meet international standards. This paper aims to explore the reasons behind the lack of prominent and internationally recognized theories and theorists in Iran today, particularly within the interdisciplinary domains of the humanities and social sciences. The factors contributing to this issue are manifold and exist at various levels; this article seeks to understand some of the main and general causes. The central question is: What are the challenges and obstacles to interdisciplinary theorizing in the field of humanities and social sciences in Iran? The article identifies and discusses six general challenges and barriers to Iranian theorizing in these fields, particularly in interdisciplinary studies: populism, politicisation, binary opposition, Westoxification, Pseudo-traditionalization, and bewilderment. This research simultaneously employs both phenomenological and foundational research methods.

Abstract In recent times, various "relational views" based on the "principle of complexity" have emerged as alternatives to essentialist approaches, collectively referred to as the "relational turn". However, the philosophical foundations of these views are often ambiguous, leading to potential confusion with "relativist perspectives" or "interactive views" informed by Habermas' Communicative Action. Contemporary scholarly concerns in the humanities and social sciences -such as new emphasis on materiality, embodied practices, affects and intuition, spatiotemporality, post-humanism, and even the co-disciplinary- to understand human-societal processes, stem from "relational thought" but lack proper elucidation of their ontological and epistemological underpinnings. The article employs the Synthesis Research Method to comprehensively analyze and categorize "relational perspectives" based on their ontological roots to address these issues. Moreover, it seeks to elaborate a "co-disciplinary and (deep) relational epistemological and methodological framework" by utilizing "general epistemic components" and "key components of the (deep) relational view based on flat ontology". From this viewpoint, knowledge possesses multiple, heterogeneous, mediated, and contextual nature, drawing from the intertwined resources of "conscious subjectivity" (conscious deliberation or reflexivity) and "objectivity" (external environment). Furthermore, unconscious mediators, such as "collective ideal" (culture and discourse) and "individual embodied" (psychophysical characteristics) mediators, play an essential role in shaping knowledge. Knowledge exhibits uncertain and contingent boundaries, and is in a perpetual state of "becoming". Drawing inspiration from Latour, the methodology is premised on developing "assemblage/deployment programs". Importantly, the epistemic framework can apply to a wide spectrum of fields, from humanities and social sciences to art, spatial planning, and public policy, with the potential to promote single disciplines into co-disciplinarity and co-disciplines into trans-disciplinarity.

Abstract Violence against women is one of the most critical issues in sociology and an example of human rights violations that occur widely at the global level. One of the dimensions of this violence is financial or economic mostly perpetrated by husbands, making the life of women without income difficult by putting them in financial distress. The present article is based on an interdisciplinary study in sociology and economics, employing a gender-oriented approach within women's and family studies. This is a qualitative research, in which, semi-structured interviews were utilized as the data collection tool. The statistical population consists of married women in the city of Mashhad, from which 26 individuals were purposefully selected from the city's thirteen districts. The sampling method was purposive and accessible, while thematic analysis was employed for data interpretation. Overall, the findings indicate that seven subcategories—including "lack of constructive relationships among spouses," "family as a context for violence," "gender stereotypes and violence," "women's subordination in the family power structure," "patriarchy and male hegemony," "women as victims of socio-economic crises," and "legal gaps and the neglect of women's economic rights"—serve as underlying factors contributing to the emergence of economic violence. The results suggest that considering the socio-economic transformations, the experience of financial violence among women has the potential to proliferate, impacting their lives significantly.

Abstract Many highly-educated women in Iran are constantly migrating abroad to access excellent facilities and take advantage of appropriate educational amenities. Considering that women are part of the useful human resources, their migration can have consequences for Iranian society. In this article, using the qualitative method and the phenomenological approach, we examined the underlying factors for the migration of women to the United States. The sampling method is purposive or criterion-based. In a phenomenological research, the purposive sampling strategy is used to select the desired samples and units. The seven-step Claizzi (Claizzi) and Diekmann analysis methods, which are used in the interpretive phenomenological approach, were employed in this study. Identifying the lived experiences of Iranian female students about the advantages of studying and working at universities in Boston, the push factors for living, working and studying in Iran, and generally discovering the lived experiences of Iranian female students are among the main objectives of this research. In this study, we intend to find the meanings that migrant and educated women give to studying at universities in Boston, and especially the diverse lifestyles in that country. The interviewees, emphasizing their high education in Iran and familiarity with the liberal culture of the West, mentioned categories such as patriarchal stereotypes in Iran, the dominance of the traditional lifestyle, and the dominance of politics over the public sphere as obstacles to their self-expression. During the interviews, they insisted on the prevalence of this neo-patrimonial culture in Iran and considered their migration as an outcome of this culture.

Abstract The term ‘Creative Industries’ refers to a new analytical definition of industrial economy components. It involves delivering creative ideas (input) and producing intellectual content (output). Handicraft creations are considered a sub-branch of the creative industries that contribute to the economic growth of nations. This research mainly investigates the factors impacting the economic development in handicraft production workshops. The main question is: Which economic value or the production of creative ideas has a greater influence on the economic development in these workshops? This is a qualitative comparative analysis. The data were collected from both library research and interviews with 24 handicraft production workshops that have achieved moderate success and economic development in a non-random selection process. Surveys were used to gather data, with qualitative information being converted into quantitative ones. The results indicate that prioritizing the production of creative ideas is sufficient for economic development in craft workshops. Exporting manufactured products is not necessary for economic development, while new technologies are sufficient but unnecessary. Economic value can drive economic prosperity in handicraft production workshops if it is aligned with an innovation system.

Abstract In 1966, Derrida's groundbreaking essay "Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences" introduced a paradigm that has since opened countless avenues for researchers. By deconstructing existing structures and reconstructing their components, this approach has ushered in new horizons for the creation of meaning. A comparative analysis within this research reveals that 37 years before Derrida, with his "Derridean Deconstruction," drew philosophical attention to this contentious concept, René Magritte, with his painting "The Treachery of Images," had quietly painted his own "Magrittean Deconstruction Manifesto" on the canvas of modern art. This painting is considered "one of the first horizons of post-structuralism." Although Derrida praised this painting, he never acknowledged the inspiration it provided in shaping and grounding his theory. This foundational, qualitative, library-based research aims to conduct a comparative study of Magritte's "The Treachery of Images" and Derrida's theory of "deconstruction" to unveil the hidden correspondence between the painting and the theory. By introducing and comprehensively explaining the key theoretical components of deconstruction, including logocentrism, binary oppositions, grammatology, différance, parergon, aporia, and dissemination, and by mapping them onto the painting, this article concludes that Derrida seems to have adopted these concepts from the painting as a model to approach, visualize, and interpret his theory. Ultimately, this painting alone is sufficient, explicit, and comprehensive to visualize and manifest the components of deconstruction.