The “Political Functions” of “Pilgrimage” in Shiite Political Culture

Abstract

In this paper, the political functions of pilgrimage in Shiite political culture at both national and international levels are studied. It is attempting to answer the question of what are the political functions of pilgrimage in Shiite political culture and how do they affect the political arena at national and international levels? The article is inspired by Durkheim's theory of the impact of social rituals on solidarity, theoretical literature on political socialization, as well as on the political effects of the religious and spiritual. However, the paper does not emphasize these theories as the theoretical framework of the article, because they are shaped in contexts that have little to do with Iranian society. Therefore, relying on them can lead to misleading results in scientific research in relation to Iranian society. At the national level, the functions of political socialization, the development of personal and social identity, political stability and the strengthening of national solidarity have been examined as political functions of pilgrimage. Strengthening solidarity among nations, expanding intergovernmental relations, strengthening regional political discourses, Political and Media Streaming, and enhancing cultural deterrence capabilities have also been described as political functions of pilgrimage to the international arena. The research method used in this study is a qualitative method of documentary analysis and the results show that the role of pilgrimage in Shiite political culture is not only in the field of rituals and has a great influence in the political field.