Iran: Cultural Values, Self images and Negotiation Behavior

IntroductionCharacter,” “Minds, Morals and Misgovernment” in Iran, “Iranian Ideal CharacterTypes,” “Iranian National Character – a Socio-linguistic Approach,” not to mentionthe empiric “insights” of Iranians and Westerners (from Herodotus on) whodocumented their impressions of Iranian culture and society. 6 While the interpretationand proposed etiology of the observed phenomena varies according to the academic(or romantic) bent of the observer, the wide common denominator of many of thesestudies and observations is striking. Some of these venture as far back as ancientPersia to draw a picture of continuity of national traits, finding the causes of theirmodern findings in the geography, demography, and climate of the country, whereasothers cite the vicissitudes of Iranian history in recent centuries as the formativecultural determinant. The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were a period ofextensive cultural and anthropological interest in Persia, including in-depth accountsby foreigners who lived and worked in the country. These observations can provideinsight into fundamental culturally based aspects of modern Iran and possibleexplanations for the roots of modern incarnations of age-old phenomena. However,they must be dealt with carefully and examined in the light of the current culture ofmodern Iran.Despite Iran’s proximity to the heart of the Arab world and its involvement in Arabpolitics, Iranian cultural behavior cannot be derived from generalizations emanatingfrom experience with the Arab world. This distinction, unnecessary in regard toMuslim countries in South Asia or Africa, is frequently obscured in the Iranian case inthe eyes of many outside observers. It is the contrast, however, and not the similaritywith the Arabs that forms a fundamental part of the Iranian ethnic self-image. Iranianssee themselves as belonging to a unique Persian nation-state, as opposed to its Arabneighbors who are seen as tribal societies artificially forged into states by colonialpowers. As a Shiite country, Iran's Islamic culture differs in key points to that of theprimarily Sunnite Arab world; as a nation with an old merchant tradition and bazaarclass, its economic culture differs from that of those newly industrialized MiddleEastern countries which have only recently begun to develop a commercial middleclass.This research encompasses the following areas: Iranian collective self-images andstereotypes (of Iranians themselves and by others, and of others by Iranians);characteristics, patterns, and values observed as epitomizing Iranian society; andpatterns of communication and negotiation, including manners, religious andcultural taboos, culture-dependent values, national and religious symbols, family,cultural icons, Persian linguistic traits, high-content/implicit vs. low content/explicitcommunication, humor, ambiguity, social imagery and status, historic culturalanalogies, negotiating and bargaining tactics, values, authority, and hierarchy.This study is a combination of insights of anthropological and sociological studiesand observations of a large number of referents, Iranians and non-Iranians, withvarious types and scopes of experience with Iran and Iranians. Unfortunately, as anIsrael-based research, the study has had to draw on second-hand observations andlacked the opportunity to test them directly in Iran. It is hoped that the rather largenumber of referents makes up for this deficiency. Along with such observations,Iranians have a tradition of self-critique. This element is evident in today’s Iranianreformist press and in the material in Iranian websites – both from inside Iran and6 See Bibliography.3