Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 faculty member of department of sociology in ilam university
2 Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies
3 Sports and Youth organization of Ilam Province
Abstract
Frequenting Cafés has become one aspect of contemporary urban life. This study attempts to explore the underlying reasons for Café culture among youth in Ilam Province. This research was conducted using the grounded theory approach. The target population of the research is youth aged 15-30 who have at least two years of regular weekly or monthly visits to cafes. The sample consisted 24 youth who visited cafés and spent time there in Ilam Province during the year 1404 (2025–2026). Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, with sampling and interviewing continuing until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis and coding were performed using the three-stage grounded theory coding process: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The findings indicate that causal conditions include the reconstruction of social bonds, escaping from everyday pressures, and the café serving as a refuge; contextual conditions such as the normalization of Café-culture practices and the spatial-symbolic structure of the café; and intervening conditions involve familial perceptions and habitus, attitudinal conflicts among significant others, and interactions among café subcultures. Youth strategies have mainly revolved around the perception of the café as a space for social interactions and reflective cultural activities. Café culture has been associated with positive outcomes such as experiencing a fluid lifeworld, developing communicative social capital, and psycho-educational empowerment, as well as negative outcomes such as the prevalence of deviant subcultures and emotional family breakdown among young café-goers.
Keywords
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