Superstition and Cultural Diversity-Case Study: Isfahan Province, Iran

Abstract

Studying different cultures clarifies that general values and attitudes are closely related to the other aspects of individuals’ life. Economical conditions, historical experiments, geographical environment, etc are among the factors forming individuals’ beliefs, and consequently any alteration in any of these factors changes the individuals’ beliefs accordingly. Superstition is an ingredient of the public beliefs detectable in almost all cultures; though its definition has been exposed to alterations through the time. The current study aims at collecting and categorizing different superstitions in Isfahan province, Iran. All 15 years old and above are considered as the population for the current study. The total sample size consists of 6192 individuals, selected based on three variables of age, sex, and residential area. The current study enjoys the conventional approach, with survey to study and recognize the superstitions. Open questions are asked in face-to-face interviews. Every individual is asked to answer the questions after contemplating about his/ her superstitious beliefs and those of his/ her parents and residential sub-province as well. The results indicate that all superstitions are in accordance with economical conditions, and value alterations in Iranians beliefs.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n4p73