| چکیده انگلیسی مقاله |
Abstract Binary opposition is one of the fundamental concepts in the critique of structuralism, and post-structuralism as well as the theories of linguistics and semiotics which are rooted in the mythological and cultural beliefs. Binary opposition shifted from linguistics to cultural studies and was challenged in the postmodern condition eventually. Claude Levi-Strauss espouses a bipolar-oppositional structure to the logic of myth, including proverbs. In his view, the structure of the human mind to understand phenomena puts each continuum in a binary reciprocal polarity. This pervasive mental action will eventually lead to the binary opposition, such as nature and culture. The purpose of the present study, however, is to represent the value binaries in the proverbs of the Ilami people. Due to the reconstructural nature of the case study, the research paradigm was qualitative and the method used was qualitative content analysis. The data is the published books about the proverbs of the Ilami people and some key informants were asked to supplement the information. These people were selected through purposeful sampling and were questioned through semi-structured interviews. The findings indicated that the binary value of the Ilami proverbs includes the following general binary oppositions: rational/irrational; collective/individual; dynamism / stagnation; universalism / particularism; order/ disorder; social capital development/ social capital erosion; moderation/ extremism; and justice/ oppression. These binaries consist of more detailed subcategories that represent a society saturated with opposition. The binary oppositions derived from the findings are largely consistent with the Talcot Parsons model variables. Keywords: Binary oppositions; proverbs; social value; social capital; conflict. Introduction Popular literature or "oral literature is an important branch of popular knowledge or folklore that includes a large collection of songs, lullabies, riddles, stories, myths, and proverbs" (Zolfaghari, 2013, p. 9). Proverbs reflect all aspects of life, material or spritual (Zolfaghari, 2005, p. 18). Proverbs represent the life of a people who have illustrated their aspirations, wishes, values, norms, different issues of life, and their social behavior through an artistic expression. In this context, proverbs are nowadays considered as one of the most important sources for cultural and social studies, and can be used to realize individuals' cultural and social viewpoints among which "binary oppositions" is a case in point. The term "binary oppositions" was coined in the school of structuralism, and employed as a means to examine and analyze the fundamental structure of thought and culture. This term refers to opposite pairs in an area, which usually shows the dominance of one over the other (Ghiyasi and Mahmoodi, 2015). Binary oppositions dominate one pole over the other one and leave the identity and presence of one in the absence of the identity and presence of the other. Similarly, ideology is largely based on oppositions since it depends on values, and values oppose anti-values to be defined. Some other examples include religion against infidelity, good against evil, infallibility against sin (Talebian et al., 2009). Conceptual Framework Binary oppositions include values based on which actors act. These values are at the two ends of a continuum that is generally privative and demanding. Social values are the bases of social actions. According to Pasrons, values associated with actions are not imposed on individuals from the outside but in their interactions with the society. In fact, the values, in practice, form the constructive conditions of the social actions. All actions involve these choices and reflect the system of the actor's choice. There are four major alternatives in this regard (Azkia and Ghaffari, 2008, p. 184), which Parsons calls "pattern variables". They include universalism vs. particularism, specific vs. diffuseness, achievement vs. ascription, affective vs. affective neutrality, and self-interest vs. collective-interest. Aims, questions, and procedure This study aims to investigate the representation of binary oppositions in proverbs of the people of Ilam. Within the same line, the following question was raised: what is the representation of the following binary oppositions in the proverbs of the Ilami people: rational / non-rational, individualism / collectivism, individualism / collectivism, social dynamism / social static, universalism / particularism, order / disorder, formation / destruction of social capital, balance / indulgence, and justice / injustice? This study employed a qualitative content analysis method of investigation. The scope of this study was the printed books on proverbs of the Ilami people. To triangulate the data, key informants, who were selected through purposive sampling, and their competence was determined based on the saturation principle, were interviewed. Conclusion The binary oppositions in proverbs of the Ilami people were represented in eight general pairs, including: In the binary of rational/non-rational, there were the binaries of considerate/inconsiderate, prudence/non-prudence, and rationality/ irrationality. The binary of collectivism/individualism included opportunist/altruist, responsibility/ non-responsibility, cooperation/ competition, common grief/indifference, and facilitator/ troublemaker. The binary of static/dynamism included social dynamism/ coercion, and incorrigibility/ reversibility. In the binary of universalism/ particularism, the following values were found: specialization/non-specialization, and achievement/ ascription. The binary of order/disorder included the categories of social order/social disorder, agreement/non-agreement, and taking turns/ignoring turns. In the binary of formation of social capital/destruction of social capital, the binary values of social trust/distrust, honesty/demagoguery, trusteeship/ barratry, dignity/ stinginess, forgiveness/ reproach, and humility/ arrogance were represented. The binary of balance/indulgence represents the binary values of patience/ impatience, tolerance/ intolerance, understanding/hostility, adaptability/ dominance, and observing the rights/indulgence. The binary of justice/ injustice included equity/inequity, and the value of women/ patriarchy. Such binaries are, to a great extent, consistent with Parsons's pattern variables. The difference is that in order to distinguish the traditional societies from the non-traditional ones, Parsons believed that each of the mentioned societies has only one of the attributes in the oppositions, while the representation of oppositions in proverbs of the Ilami people is based on a kind of attitude dynamism and jelly thinking as well as reciprocal movement between the two ends of a continuum. In this sense, we face a society saturated with oppositions, which sometimes tends to the affirmative values and sometimes to the negative ones. It sometimes tends to the rational actions and sometimes to the emotional ones. It sometimes demands individualism and sometimes collectivism. It sometimes calls for dynamism and sometimes emphasized coercion; sometimes calls for order and sometimes for disorder. It sometimes emphasizes formation of the social capital and sometimes its destruction. It sometimes considers balance as its ideal and another time puts indulgence on its agenda. 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