A Note on Ethnicity and Ethnic Groups in Iran

 Brill, Leiden, 2005 Iran and the Caucasus, 9.1 A NOTE ON ETHNICITY AND ETHNIC GROUPS IN IRAN SEKANDAR AMANOLAHI Shiraz University Introduction Even a brief review of the history of Iran clearly indicates that the country has always been the host of diverse ethnic groups during the past four millennia. 1 Hence, any generalisation concerning the Iranian society and culture is unsatisfactory unless the ethnicity is taken into consideration. Yet, surprisingly, the knowledge about the ethnicity and ethnic groups in Iran remains incomplete and demands clarification. There were no national censuses indicating the population types, geographi- cal distribution, political,