In the perspective of human–animal relationships, considered a social change marker, pet dogs in modern Iranian society constitute a form of acculturation that started under the former regime and perpetuates, if not intensifies, nowadays. At first glance, this acculturation form seems to be directly borrowed from Western patterns, but this article shows the peculiarities of the adaptation models to the Iranian context. This work, based on individual, semi-structured interviews with dog owners aims to study the subjective representations of pet dogs and the acquisition and cohabitation material conditions with this animal, within the context of a changing contemporary Iranian society.
Anahita Grisoni is a post-doctoral contractual fellow in the CNRS, working in the Environment, Cities and Societies team (EVS UMR 5600) at the University of Lyon. She is a sociologist working on social movements and ecology. She is concerned about the role of animals in renewing the debate on political ecology. Currently she coordinates the sustainable development axis of the French German Programme Saisir l’Europe. E-mail: grisoni_anahita@hotmail.com
Marjan Mashkouris Director of Research in the CNRS and specialised in Archaeozoology. She is the director of the team Societies, Animals, Plants, in Asia and in Africa (SAPAA- UMR 7209). Her main interest is the understanding of human–animal relationships through time in the Near and Middle East. E-mail: mashkour@mnhn.fr