Solidarity in Contemporary Iran: The History of an Idea(from the constitutional revolution to the 1979 revolution)

The target of this paper is to study the history of the concept of solidarity in contemporary Iran. A distinction has been made between the everyday usage of this word and its usage in social science as a term of art. Our study indicates that the word “hambastegi” was coined in the 1940s, although synonyms such as “ettefagh”(consensus), “ettehad” (unity), “taavon”(cooperation) and “baradari”(fraternity) were commonly used in the constitutional revolution and before. From these words, unity, union, cooperation and fraternity are being used frequently today. In the terminology of social science, the word “hambastegi” for solidarity has been in use from the 1960’s. The concept is mostly discernible in translations and interpretations of Durkheim’s works. There are two distinct interpretations of this concept in social science literature today. The first, mostly under the influence of French socialist tradition, parallels solidarity with cooperation and syndicalism, and believes it could be achieved through the participation of every citizen in society. The second interpretation is under the influence of American conservative sociology that views solidarity in terms of conformity with the existing order.