Community

Plato is the first philosopher who states his political views in a sound philosophical system. The testimony to this statement is his two important works, i.e. Republic (Politeia) and Laws (Nomoi) in which one can trace his political views. Plato’s political writings indicate that his life as a great philosopher has never been devoid of the political and social issues of his time. The fusion of politics, metaphysics, ethics and education in Plato’s works demonstrate that he was involved in political and social problems in an important and eventful period. Since no thought is created without passing through the historical bottlenecks, an attempt is made here to examine the impacts of Greece’s eventful and flourishing period, i.e. the fifth century B.C., on Plato’s political views as the recognition of the effective factors influencing the views of a philosopher which will help the researcher understand the historical trends.

In contemporary multicultural Britain, the concept of social cohesion has been a pressing priority for not only politicians and sociologists but also for the various British ethnic minorities. Race riots like those of 2001 in Northern Britain and the events of 7/7 in London (2005) put into question the allegiances of different British ethnic populations. They equally shed light on the real or perceived lack of social and cultural communication between the established British host population and the British ethnic and immigrant communities. Hence, social cohesion came to the fore as the new jargon of governance in contemporary Britain. This article analyzes on the concept of social cohesion and its applicability within an officially declared multicultural community like that of Great Britain. The concept will be reviewed, defined and approached from different liberal political perspectives while paying special attention to the British context. Bhikhu Parekh’s conception of the different theoretical approaches to the issue of social cohesion that are pertinent to liberal capitalist societies in general and the British context, in particular, is investigated. The aim of this study is to highlight the complexity of the normative accounts of the political scientists regarding the challenges that face multicultural Britain in coming to terms with its endeavor of creating “unity within diversity”. The 2002 White Paper and security speech of David Cameron (2011) political discourses are analyzed and evaluated to decipher how they understood national identity in relation to cultural diversity and social cohesion.

This paper takes a broad and novel approach to analysing the Iranian Jewish community of Iran, both as a distinct group and as a constituent part of Iran’s wider population sharing its national culture. The goal was to find a new way of addressing the topic, avoiding many ambiguities, and bringing all discourse back to its starting point: Iranian identity. If we identify Persian roots as the focus and the heart of our investigation, and we establish that a cultural study of the Iranian Jewscannot be separated from Iranian identity itself, we not only shift attention to a common denominator that links a variety of topics, but raise new questions, new issues, and new considerations. The aim was to identify an analytical tool through which we could interpret and relate various outlooks on Iranian identity: the analysis led us to consider religion as the source of a common sense of belonging, in contrast to most scholars whose work is predicated on the dichotomy of “secularism vs religion.” Instead, the Iranian identity discourse that emerges from this paper finds connections and affinities across the common dividing lines represented by religion, ethnicity, and geography. Reinforcing an Iranian discourse through the Jewish experience can constitute a valid response to the deep crisis of the Iranian national question and the enhancement of national, economic, and religious alliances. This paper employs a qualitative approach to the framework ofnational identity, based on the idea of its progressive character and related to the concept of identity as socially constructed. The theoretical assumptions expressed throughout this paper have found their empirical explanation in fieldwork that the author conducted in Iran in 2019.

The present research aims at investigating the social and local relevance of the process of self-authenticity in Zadie Smith’s NW. The novel imagines a complex network of relationships ranging from individual association with occupation to friendships and families, and to participation in local and public oriented interactions, all bring individuals to experience  multiplicity of identifications with others in yet more complex ways.With regard to density and complexity of overlapping social relations this essay  indicates how self-authenticity is a social process determined by confirmation with and from other’s as well as one’s own experiment as means and results of social interactions while, also, acting as a local process operating in practice and in relation to local relevance.The study interrogates to what extent locality acts as a firm framework of reference in construction and maintenance of self-authenticity and identity formation in the current context of increasing global dynamics. It follows the concept of critical cosmopolitanism that assumes individual’s capacity for self-reflexivity as integral to formation of self-authenticity  and necessitates the emergence of a cosmopolitan consciousness that views self-authenticity as dependent on situationally-relevant conditions of time and place rather than on pre-give social patterns viewed as  absolute entities of specific authority and autonomy.

Communitarianism is considered as one of the most pivotal schools of thought in contemporary normative political theories. In fact, it is a label for a group of people who share common characteristics such as critiques on liberalism, and some concepts like “community”, “tradition” and “self”. Since most communitarians belong to the analytical philosophy, which focus on language and logic, they could not be regarded as contextualists. On the other hand, their analysis is related to “tradition”, “here and now”, and “particularism” which denotes the importance of historical, political and sociological situation. It seems that not only the enrichment of morality and human rights in communitarianism is possible, but also it implies somehow relationship with context, cultural diversity and relativism. It seems that communitarianism needs a “third way” between text and context.

In the era of globalization and standardization, Information Technology (IT) brought many changes in people’s lives, it also influenced people's behaviour, communication, and lifestyle. The ability of IT in the business and community is to sustain in an increasingly competitive and global environment which largely influenced their capacity to access information as a resource and usage of advanced technologies. This paper analyzing the impact of IT on the Muslim community in the era of Globalization and Islamization. Several types of research have been done on IT and Islam, IT and behavioural and so on, while this paper specifically focusing on the Muslim community in the era of Globalization and Islamization. Information technology has undoubtedly become the central drive for the evolution of a modern Muslim society globally. The Muslim world or society, like the rest of the ‘world’, participates in the evolution, as well as the usage of using IT to obtain Islamic materials. Such materials include among others the translation of the Qur’an, Tajweed, Hadith, and Tafseer, which are available in word, audio, and video forms through digital content or via interactive chat rooms and forums. This paper focuses on Islamic literature globally accessible and assumes a vital role in spreading Islam all over the world. The paper recommends initiatives policy by government and NGO to promote IT technologies among Muslims around the world for a viable impact on society

Community is the main pillar of the urban body; and balance of social life in cities depends on preserving communities. During the twentieth century, the idea of residential-centered community has been offered in many modern theories and has been widely accepted for solving urban various problems such as management, social and human relations, health and welfare issues and aspects of meaning and identity. On the contrary, the concept of sustainable urban development has been considered a scientific issue in all societies in recent decades, when much of the literature on urban development has been allocated to the issue. The main argument of this paper is two issues of sustainability and urban communities, as well as how to link them in a topic. The paper will describe the necessity and importance of creating sustainable communities which have been originated from the consequences of climate change. Then, the concepts of sustainability and community are clarified; and finally the components of creating a sustainable community will be exامینed.

The existence of brownfields in cities, and their common disadvantages, such as pollution and their detriment to natural habitats, have damaged local communities and their environment over time. Whereas the renovation and regeneration of these brownfields and transforming them into centers of activity could assist the economy and society to flourish. At the same time improving the quality of the environment could allow us to attain healthier, more attractive and safer communities. A neighborhood is a social network with a social and regional identity and a place where social interactions occurs. Focusing on enriching the neighborhood, nourishing social life and meeting the social and intellectual needs of the individual. The renovation of the defunct strip of land where the Tehran-Tabriz railway existed and its transformation into a linear park does not only have a positive effect on the local economy and environment but also connects the northern and southern sections of Yaftabad, by increasing safety and social interactions and enriches the local community. This research aimed to answer the following questions: 1- What are the guidelines of improving urban development and the quality of life of the people in regarding restoration and renovation of useless lands? 2- Is the construction of a ‘Green’ Pathways on the borders of brownfields could integrate neighborhoods? In order to address these questions, a descriptive-analytical method was used. In addition to library research and analysis of previously tested procedures in this field, by the help of a questionnaires, which was distributed through local population to specify their requested standards and quality requirements. The results showed that the people greatly desired this brownfield regeneration to a new improved environment and community. In the planning segment, with attention to standards set by the people, suggestions were presented.