نشریه مطالعات فرهنگی اجتماعی حوزه
سال هفتم شماره 2 (پیاپی 14، پاییز و زمستان 1402)

This study aims to bridge the individual agency derived from human voluntary actions to the aggregation of agency and subsequently to the nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The research method is descriptive-analytical, demonstrating that the nature of the Islamic Republic, as an aggregation of agency, is a living social phenomenon and an evolving experience of the Islamic Revolution. It is based on two pillars: comprehensive rationality and civil order (representative democracy). This means it seeks to establish a civil political system based on Islamic rationality derived from the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and practically employs operational representative democracy. The foundation of human and social interactions and relations is the "system of love," which, contrary to secular rationality that confines everything to personal love and individualism, expands personal and intrinsic love to the social realm. This makes it a factor in the formation and perfection of society and a source of collective agency, achieving an intrinsically efficient theory to the highest degree.

The present study aims to examine the epistemological factors influencing the perception of justice. The research method is descriptive-analytical, and the results showed that the factors affecting the perception of justice are divided into two main groups: epistemological factors and non-epistemological factors. In the discussion of epistemological backgrounds, the most crucial part of the formation of the perception of justice is a person's definition and understanding of justice and its potential criteria. Another epistemological factor influencing the perception of justice is ideology, encompassing all value-based and belief systems, including governance, which play a role in individuals' decisions, reflections, and thoughts. Another epistemological factor is the individuals' perspective on the agent or the expander of justice. If the perceiver considers the government or authority as the sole expander, their perception of justice is naturally dependent on their performance. However, if they consider the role of the people in expanding justice significant, their perception of justice is shaped by the role of the people. The epistemological belief in retribution and a just world, as another epistemological background, causes the perceiver to analyze the state of justice and inequality solely in terms of the feedback of individual actions.

"Female pilgrimage" is a distinct type of pilgrimage that is shaped by environmental and cultural elements, reasons for action by the actors, functions, harms, outcomes, applications, and so forth. The experience of women in "faithful suffering" during the pilgrimage to holy shrines, such as the Arbaeen pilgrimage, is a complex process that can be examined through a phenomenological approach. This approach is based on the assumption that experience can be represented through direct interaction with the world and its phenomena. Given the significance of this issue, this study investigates the lived experience of faithful suffering among 13 female pilgrims through interviews. In this representation, after analyzing the codes, 136 descriptive codes from meaningful units were obtained, which, after merging, resulted in 16 interpretive codes and 3 explanatory codes. "Conceptual re-creation of faithful suffering" emerged within the context of codes such as "breaking routines, being noticed, meaning-making, desirable suffering, chosen suffering, and belief in the future"; "practical declaration of religious beliefs" within codes like "resilience, reward, forgiveness, self-reassessment, spiritual growth, and attaining perfection"; and the explanatory code "reconstruction of the historical experience of sacred suffering" within interpretive codes such as "empathy, participation in suffering, incomparability, and paying homage."

Cultural-communicative phenomena play a fundamental and decisive role in representing the culture of any nation, encapsulating the beliefs and values of the people of a land or region. Among such communicative phenomena are choral songs, performed as a form of ritual communication. The song "Hello Commander" is a collective anthem that has garnered widespread acclaim from the public, particularly among children and adolescents in Iran. It has also attracted attention in non-Persian-speaking countries. This research, employing a phenomenological approach, aims to extract the meanings and mental images associated with this song by analyzing the viewpoints of followers on the Instagram page of Fars News Agency through ethnography. Using thematic analysis, 58 basic themes, 16 organizing themes, and 3 overarching themes were identified. The findings of the study indicate that "Hello Commander," as a valid rhetorical narrative, is visualized in the minds of the studied audience with the overarching themes of "faith-based unity," "Mahdist civilization," and "righteous deeds." Furthermore, according to this research, the overarching themes align with the Qur'anic concepts of faith and righteous deeds, connecting with the notion of "Hayat Tayyiba" (the good life). This song, as a valid rhetorical narrative, influences its audience without the need for rational arguments or logical proofs and promotes the bond and connection with Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) and the unity and solidarity of his followers as a cultural endeavor aligned with the Islamic Revolution.

The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between social issues and inter-institutional relations using an analytical method and to propose an optimal model for inter-institutional relations. From this perspective, religion is considered a super-institution, while family, economy, government, education, and law constitute the five main institutions that shape the macro-level relations of the social system. The super-institution of religion occupies the first level, family and education the second level, and economy, law, and government the third level. The relationship between religion at the first level, family and education at the second level, and economy, law, and government at the third level is vertical. However, the relationship between the family and education institutions, as well as the relationship among economy, law, and government, is horizontal. Many social issues and harms stem from structural and institutional disruptions. Therefore, both in studying and understanding these issues and in providing solutions, macro-structural and institutional studies are necessary. Numerous social and cultural issues and extensive social harms in contemporary Iran are rooted in inter-institutional relations, and their resolution will be successful only at this level. Institutional competition and conflict in inter-institutional relations or the dominance of one institution over others in contemporary Iran have been the primary causes of many disorders and crises. The main and overarching solution lies in realizing the optimal model of inter-institutional relations.

The present study aims to examine the factors and contexts of social participation in Islamic sources. The research method is descriptive-analytical, and the results indicate that the creation of social participation is contingent upon fourteen factors and contexts: "public satisfaction," "public trust," "order," "security," "political freedom," "shared fundamental values," "social intercession," "perceived threat to interests," "justice," "transparency," "protection of public rights," "interaction between governance and observers," "negotiation with opponents," and "support for participants." Additionally, there is an inverse relationship between social participation and social changes. As social participation increases, adaptation also increases, reducing the possibility of social changes; conversely, as participation decreases, the possibility of social changes rises. According to the narrations of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), the causes of social changes and the formation of revolutions include the expansion of dissatisfaction and the gap between the people and the governance, which may be real and based on oppression, or due to mismanagement and lack of transparency in communication with the people, leading to a decrease in participation. In other words, as dissatisfaction increases, the relationship between the people and the governance becomes negative, resulting in long-term social changes.