Poverty and Inequality as Structural Violence: An Analysis of Their Consequences for the Realization of Positive Peace

This study examines poverty and inequality not only as economic issues but as forms of structural violence that threaten the realization of positive peace. It investigates how these conditions are experienced in daily life and their consequences for social harmony. Using a qualitative grounded theory approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 43 graduate students at Tabriz University (academic year 1401–1402). Purposive and theoretical sampling ensured maximum diversity, and data were analyzed through coding to extract main and subcategories. Findings reveal two dimensions of structural violence: economic, encompassing livelihood and resource poverty with limited access to infrastructure and opportunities; and social, including neglected justice, favoritism, lack of meritocracy, and hidden discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, or class. These forms of violence undermine mental health, reduce capacity for empathetic coexistence, reproduce cycles of aggression, escalate social tension, erode socio-moral values, and deplete social capital. The study concludes that poverty and inequality, as structural violence, weaken material welfare, psychological well-being, social cohesion, and ethical norms, perpetuating instability and conflict. Achieving positive peace requires addressing these structural roots through policies that combine economic support with social justice, equality of opportunity, and the promotion of trust and cooperation within society.