Diversity

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 study aims to explore the relationship between syntactic and lexical complexity and also the relationship between different aspects of lexical complexity. To this end, speech monologs of 35 Iranian high-intermediate learners of English on three different tasks (i.e. argumentation, description, and narration) were analyzed for correlations between one measure of syntactic complexity (mean number of clauses per Analysis of Speech Unit) and two measures of lexical complexity (diversity and sophistication). Spearman’s rho was used to calculate correlations between the average scores for syntactic and lexical complexity obtained from the three tasks and also for each of the three tasks individually. The results showed that the average scores for lexical diversity and lexical sophistication correlated positively, but the correlation was found only for the narration task. Also, the average scores for syntactic complexity did not correlate significantly with any of the average scores for the two measures of lexical complexity. However, the pattern of results differed across the three tasks. In the argumentation task, syntactic complexity correlated significantly only with lexical diversity. Syntactic complexity did not correlate significantly with any of the two measures of lexical complexity in the description task. In the case of the narrative task, there was a significant correlation between syntactic complexity and both measures of lexical complexity. The results are discussed in light of Levelt’s (1989) speaking model

 One of the mos t important principles in the formation of Iranian-Islamic cities is the principle of unity. Observing the principle of unity in the physical-social space of his torical neighborhoods has led to the organization and integration of them. A review of s tudies on this issue indicates that the principle of unity in the scale of urban neighborhoods has been less considered. The main ques tion of the s tudy is how and with what factors and criteria was the principle of unity formed in the physical space of Sarshoor neighborhood, Mashhad city? This s tudy is his torical and analytical research. The research process is divided into two main s tages. In the firs t s tage, it is attempted to determine how the spatial s tructure of the Sarshoor neighborhood was before the extensive physical-spatial interventions taken in the contemporary era. In the second s tage, the factors and criteria related to the principle of unity are determined on the maps and photos of the neighborhood in an exploratory way and using the relevant graphical analysis. The results show that in the his torical neighborhood of Sarshoor, a set of factors in a complex and close relationship with each other, have been effective in unifying the physical space of the neighborhood. Factors including "connectivity and continuity", "centrality", "hierarchy", "coordination", "interconnectedness" and "semantic unity" have been effective in realizing the principle of unity in the neighborhood by creating various qualities in different dimensions of physical space of the neighborhood. 

Purpose- This study explores cross-cultural differences in the assessment of rural landscapes among landscape architecture experts in Iran and Sweden. The research focuses on three key indicators of landscape aesthetics: diversity, naturalness, and sense of place, aiming to understand how cultural background influences the perception and valuation of these elements in rural environments. Design/methodology/approach- A quantitative survey approach was employed using a structured questionnaire based on a 7-point Likert scale. The sample included 31 landscape architecture experts—18 from Iran and 13 from Sweden—who were selected purposively and responded via email. To analyze the data, non-parametric statistical methods were used, including the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test for normality and the Mann–Whitney U test for comparing group differences. Findings-The results revealed that both groups valued vegetation diversity similarly, indicating a shared professional appreciation for diverse plant types. However, a significant divergence was noted in perceptions of naturalness: Iranian experts tended to associate cultivated and managed vegetation with higher natural value, while Swedish experts favored more untouched, wild natural elements. Regarding the sense of place, particularly the activity subcomponent, Iranian experts gave more weight to cultural infrastructure and traditional or religious events, reflecting the socio-cultural importance of communal and ritual activities in Iran. Practical Implications- These findings can guide rural landscape planning and design processes that are sensitive to cultural context, providing a basis for cross-cultural assessment tools tailored to differing aesthetic values. Originality/Value- The study contributes to the underexplored area of non-Western landscape perception research, offering fresh insights into how cultural frameworks shape aesthetic evaluations across distinct environmental and social settings.