Social and Economic Changes as Related to Iraqi Rural Development

Abstract

The structure of the Iraqi rural family has undergone multiple changes at different times, partly owing to socio-economic and cultural changes at the Arab, as well as the Muslim, level. This, in turn, has added to the hierarchy of the average Iraqi rural community in structural and functional characteristics different from its predecessors. Relevant sociological studies, accordingly, in recent years have shown wide interest in studying these rural communities in all respects having been neglected in the past few years at the expense of developing neighbouring urban communities. Recently,  there have been many multi-variate changes in rural communities, including social, economic, and cultural areas.
The old rural lifestyle, however, came to disappear as most urban aspects moved into rural communities. This assimilation and shift in living conditions and community building led to a widescale transformation of ideas, styles, and conditions. The hierarchy and formation of the average Iraqi rural family as a unique form of practices, beliefs, and actions have began to decompose and merge into other forms. Therefore, new forms have surfaced in most rural families and communities, and this has been manifested in the different values and meanings reflected on in the newly emerging quasi-urban communities. Such communities have thus embraced the meanings of belonging and difference in the established rules and subcultures.