Sociological explanation of political participation from the perspective of Khuzestan elites with emphasis on social capital in line with regional planning

Authors

1 PhD student, Department of Sociology, Shoushtar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shoushtar, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Shoushtar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shoushtar, Iran.

10.22034/jgeoq.2024.297029.3220

Abstract

The aim of the current research was to explain the sociological political participation from the perspective of the elites of Khuzestan with emphasis on social capital. The current research method is quantitative and practical in terms of purpose. The statistical population of this research is all the political elites of Khuzestan region, which includes university lecturers, middle and senior managers of government departments and organizations and private companies, doctors, engineers, educators and writers. From the sociological point of view, participation means the feeling of belonging to a group and participating actively and voluntarily in it, which leads to social activity; It is very important. Considering the results of this study, it can be concluded that the existence of social interactions plays an important role in the collective life of people, social capital can be considered as an influential factor in the political participation of society. In this regard, thinkers of the replacement theory believe that in today's social life, people who spend more time on the Internet cannot spend more time on other activities. Supporters of this theory believe that the media is important because of 1. taking people's time to participate in social activities; 2. Preventing face-to-face communication and 3. Encouraging people to join like-minded groups; They have a negative effect on political approaches and participation. On the other hand, they believe that the social trust of these people in political institutions also decreases. Therefore, the politicians of the society should provide the conditions of social communication

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