Social Problems of Iran

Life as Destiny and Politics in the Role of Lifestyle: A Narrative Analysis of Youths' Experiences of Living in the City of Sanandaj

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

kamal khaleghpanah 1
Afshin Binandeh 2

1 Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

2 PhD student in Sociology of Social Problems in Iran, Faculty of Humanities, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/jspi.2026.11090
Abstract
The acceleration of globalization and the expansion of communication methods have provided youths with the possibility to choose new forms of life. This article aims to explore the life choices and life politics of youths, their narratives of personal and collective constraints and limitations, as well as their ways of coping with their bodily rights, pleasures, and difficulties. It examines how, within the hegemonic space of Iranian society, moral and value principles in individual and collective life encounter contradictions, choices, and value-based dilemmas. The central issue of this study is the life choices, decision-making processes, moral principles, and values of youths. The research is framed within Anthony Giddens’ theory of life politics and employs a qualitative narrative interview method with a purposive sample of 24 youths from the city of Sanandaj. The findings were analyzed using thematic analysis, resulting in five main themes: life as destiny, external pressure and internal dreams, absence of a private sphere and its mental desire, the dilemma of moral and value conflicts, and lifestyle as a guideline. The results indicate a dissonance between values and contextual conditions. These changes and transformations often remain subjective and face structural political, economic, and social blockages in objective and concrete terms. Therefore, contrary to Giddens’ theory, in the Iranian context, life politics is understood as resilience and the ability to live within the gap between objective pressures and subjective expectations, enduring these pressures.

Keywords

Life politics
youth
cultural and generational transformation
values
ethics
identity
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  • Receive Date 01 May 2026
  • Revise Date 08 August 2026
  • Accept Date 20 August 2026
  • First Publish Date 20 August 2026