Conservative Liberal Specialists: A Class Analysis of the Social and Political Attitudes of Professional Specialists in Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Candidate of Sociology, Islamic Azad Unviversity (Science and Technology branch)

2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran

10.22059/ijsp.2026.410698.671374

Abstract

This study focuses on professionals as an upper segment of Iran’s (upper-)middle class and examines the diversity and internal tensions in their socio-political attitudes and how these relate to lifestyle patterns and cultural consumption. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concepts of capital and habitus and Erik Olin Wright’s notion of contradictory class locations, the research employs a qualitative thematic analysis. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and of 34 participants . The findings show that respondents’ orientations are often hybrid and “liberal–conservative”: on the one hand, support for freedom of expression, civic engagement, and fairness; on the other hand, a preference for stability and an aversion to abrupt change. At the level of everyday life, cultural consumption and leisure are shaped by inflationary pressures and internet restrictions; social media simultaneously functions as a key source of news and entertainment. Social relations tend to contract toward smaller, status-similar networks, and in discussions of migration the paradox of “staying for oneself / leaving for one’s children” becomes salient. The study also documents an erosion of institutional trust and declining social hope in the wake of economic volatility and political constraints. The thematic structure is organized into several categories, including family and gender, nationalism and attitudes toward immigration, and an economic ideal that combines sustainable growth with justice alongside demands for transparency and anti-rent-seeking policies. Overall, the study concludes that this value hybridity can both enable participation and social change and, under persistent uncertainty, foster withdrawal and intensified individualism.

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Main Subjects

Journal of Social Problems of Iran

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 12 May 2026

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