Integration of Afghan Immigrants in Iran: A Multi-Grounded Theory Study

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to gain a comprehensive understanding of the integration of Afghan immigrants in Iran. Employing a multi-grounded theory approach, data were collected through fieldwork involving 45 participants. The data underwent analysis using inductive coding, conceptual refinement, the construction of categorical structures, and theory condensation. The analysis yielded 21 categories, which were further organized into 6 overarching categories. These categories encompass conditions of origin, conditions of destination, political factors, social agency, immigrant characteristics, and structural and individual consequences. The findings of this research reveal that the integration of Afghan immigrants in Iran operates as an intricate integration ecosystem. In theories of integration, the significance of individual characteristics and the host society’s background as pivotal factors in immigrant integration is highlighted. In these theories, the interplay between immigrant characteristics and the host society’s context is also recognized as a crucial element in the integration process.

KEYWORDS:

• Integration
• immigration
• Afghan immigrants
• intercultural relationships

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to ³Göran Goldkuhl (from Linköping University, Sweden) for his insightful feedbacks on draft versions of the paper. This paper is based on the doctoral dissertation of the first author in the field of Demography at Yazd University, which benefitted from comments from Prof. Mohammad-Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi and Dr. Rasoul Sadeghi (both from the University of Tehran) as well as critical and constructive comments of the dissertation’s reviewers. This study was conducted within the framework of the Ethics Committee on research at Yazd University (ethics code: IR.YAZD.REC.1401.025).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Well, you see, our economic situation didn't permit us to relocate elsewhere, and our education level wasn't very high. We had to make do with what we had. Iran is quite distinct from other places, especially when it comes to language. I use my native language here. (Male, 58 years old, first generation).

2 An ethnic enclave may be defined as an alternative, or third, economic sector or labor market that primarily immigrants participate in (Cobas 1987). In addition to this economic theoretical emphasis, an ethnic enclave can also be a geographical neighborhood or residential area where members of ethnic immigrants are spatially concentrated or overrepresented (Schmitter Heisler 2000).

3 Prof.