Overview
Iran is an ethnically diverse state. The major ethno-linguistic groups include the Persians, Azeri-Turks, Kurds, Turkmen, Baluchi, Qashqai, Bakhtiari, Arab, Jewish, Armenian, Assyrian as well as others. While many of these groups are urbanized and often mixing, particularly in larger cities, some are still functioning as often rural tribal societies.
Many of these ethnic groups have their own language, culture, and often literature. Their differences occasionally emerge as political ambitions. Some of these groups are also religious minorities.
One of the major internal policy challenges during the centuries up until now for most or all Iranian governments has been to find the appropriate and measured approach to the difficulties and opportunities caused by this diversity, particularly as this internal diversity has often been readily utilized by foreign powers.
Current Policy
The current governmental policy can be characterised by a mixture of celebrating and furthering cultural diversity under a joint Iranian national umbrella, while holding down (occasionally violently) political separatism. Some ethnic minorities have reported racial or religious discrimination.
Many Iranian provinces have radio and television stations in local language or dialect. School education is in Persian, the Iranian official language, but use of regional languages is allowed under the constitution of the Islamic Republic.
Many members of ethnic minorities have made a successful political career. Most provincial governors, many members of the local ruling classes and clergy are members of the relevant ethnic groups. Many, if not most members of the national cultural and political elite have mixed roots.
Separatist tendencies, led e.g. by the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran or by the Komalah have lead particularly in Kurdistan to frequent unrest and occasional military crackdown.
Similar tendencies, but on smaller scale in e.g. Baluchistan, Khuzestan and Azerbaijan required occasionally suppression by police and other security measures.
Historical Notes
Traditionally Iran (then called Persia) was governed over the last centuries in a fairly decentralised way with much regional and local autonomy. Particularly weaker members of the Qajar dynasty often did not rule much beyond the capital Tehran, a fact exploited by the imperial powers Britain and Russia in the 19th century.
Reza Shah Pahlavi and to a lesser degree his son Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, successfully strengthened the central government by using reforms, bribes and suppressions. Particularly the Bakhtiaris, Kurds, and until the late 1940s, also some of the Turkish speaking Azeri regions required repeatedly military measures to keep under governmental control.
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