An Analysis of the Role of Asabiyyah-Oriented Tendencies in Impeding Political Development: The Case of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province

This study aims to investigate the role of asabiyyah (group solidarity/tribalism) in the process of political development in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach and the Grounded Theory method. Data were collected and analyzed through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Based on the data analysis, three major categories related to the relationship between asabiyyah and political development were identified: (1) asabiyyah-based groupings as substitutes for political parties, (2) the weakening of political boundaries and the emergence of political asabiyyah, and (3) the contradictory role of political elites in the process of political development. The core category extracted from the data was “the reproduction of political power through networks of asabiyyah.”
The findings indicate that asabiyyah, manifested through tribal, kinship, and ethnic relations, functions as a dominant mechanism in organizing political relations. By weakening meritocracy, restricting elite circulation, reinforcing group-interest-based politics, reducing the effectiveness of political institutions, and reproducing traditional patterns of power, it poses significant challenges to the process of political development. The study demonstrates that asabiyyah is not merely a cultural variable but also a structural mechanism for organizing power, distributing resources, and shaping political behavior within the province. Consequently, the hegemonization of political asabiyyah within the provincial power structure hinders individuals from engaging in politics through ideological, program-oriented, and factional frameworks. Under such conditions, individuals are unable to define their political identity outside asabiyyah-centered structures, leading to the weakening of modern political institutions—particularly political parties—and ultimately obstructing the path toward political development