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ANA YURDUM

hanced ethnic self-esteem. Many Azerbaijanis responded to the gap they perceived between their high structural status and their low social status in Iran. By the early 1990s, Azerbaijanis comprised a large proportion of the governing elite in the country and dominated important business sectors. For example, the spiritual leader Khamane'i is Azerbaijani. Nonetheless, Azerbaijanis continued to be ridiculed in Iranian society, and many felt they had to assimilate and Persianisize in order to advance and succeed. The first half of 1990s was marked by many expressions of indignation over a low social status that contrasted with their extensive political and economic success.

for expanded tangible rights. This seems to have been due to a heightened ethnic pride and assertiveness that emerged in this period. The establishment of the Republic of Azerbaijan-a state based on their ethnic culture-- plus the introduction of the Turkish television broadcasts seem to have contributed to their en