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While the Islamic Republic has employed various strategies to mitigate the worst excesses of inter-ethnic tension while still securing a Shi´a dominated "Persian hegemony," the systematic neglect of ethnic groups by both the Islamic Republic and its predecessor regime has resulted in the politicization of ethnic identity in Iran.

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Introduction 1. Ethnic Conflict: Theories and Concepts 2. Continuity and Change: The Tradition of Security Discourse in Iran 3. Iran´s National Identity Problematic 4. Ethnic conflict in Iran: Continuity and Changes 5. Relative Deprivation Theory and Political Violence in Iran 6. Ethnic Minorities in Iran: The View from the Ground 7. Separatism and the State´s Mechanism of Control Conclusion

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Alam Saleh is a lecturer in the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, UK.

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