# From Border to Border

From Border to Border is a research study by Kameel Ahmady, a British Iranian anthropologist and social researcher, and his colleagues to examine the challenges and opportunities of ethnic and local identities in Iran and the interaction of the political system with various ethnic groups and local identities between 2019 and 2021 in 13 provinces of Iran. The results of this research were published in a book with the same title by Mehri Publishing House in London in 2021. The book was later reprinted by Avaye Buf publishing house in Denmark. The book has been published in Persian, English and Kurdish.

## Research method and objectives

From Border to Border is a book that looks into the issues of identity and ethnicity in Iran from an anthropological perspective. The authors, led by Kameel Ahmady, conducted comprehensive research across thirteen provinces of Iran, focusing on the five ethnic groups of Fars, Turks, Kurds, Baloch, and Arabs. The study delves into the demands and aspirations of these ethnic groups, with a particular emphasis on peace. The authors also found that some of these groups identified themselves as separate nations, and were seeking political and geographical independence.
The main goal of Ahmady and his colleagues in writing this book is to provide answers to various questions regarding the understanding of different ethnicities about themselves and others, their place in political and economic structures, their perspectives on issues such as convergence, political participation, mother tongue, and centre-periphery, as well as their potential for gaining more independence. To achieve this, they have employed scientific and data-driven methods and conducted extensive interviews with both elites and the general population.

## Conclusions

In the final chapters of the book, Ahmady and his colleagues have presented two potential scenarios for Iran's future based on their field research. The first scenario involves the continuation of the political, economic, social, and cultural policies of the past century, which have led to a decline in social capital across various dimensions. The authors predict that this scenario would result in a collapse of social, economic, political, cultural, and religious systems. The second scenario, which the authors call the favorable scenario, involves achieving social stability. However, according to Ahmady and his colleagues, the likelihood of a favorable scenario is low.
For Iran to achieve social stability and unity, significant changes need to be made in the infrastructure and superstructures of society, as well as in the economic, social, cultural, educational, and health sectors. These changes require favourable decisions by the governing institutions and different ethnic groups of the country. If these changes are implemented, Iran will become a country with ethnic and religious diversity, which will be seen as a source of national convergence and unity. The government will focus on building better relationships with other nations and will strive to eliminate discrimination and gaps within the country. The political system will no longer rank citizens according to their ethnic identity and will instead accept parallelism between ethnic and national identity. These changes are crucial for Iran to reach its full potential and avoid social, economic, and cultural collapse.

## Reprints

From Border to Border was first published in the Persian language in 2019 by Mehri Publications. From that date until 2023, this book has been published by various printings in Kurdish and English languages. In 2021, Avay Buf publishes published the first English version of the book in electronic form. In 2023, Scholars' Press published a more comprehensive and complete version of this book. This book is not allowed to be published in Iran and the author of the book has been prosecuted for writing it.