About

 Circle of Sociology of Shia Studies

“Circle of Sociology of Shia Studies”, is a group of social scholars and researchers that focus on sociology of religion, especially Shia studies. This circle has been established because of shared perturbation of its members which is lack of sociological approach towards “Tashayo” in Iran. The necessity of such Sociological approach was the initial force for establishing a sociological religious studies circle.

Sociology of Shia

“Sociology of Shia” is one of the Sociology of religion subdivisions. Study of religious representatives instigates from the very first religion that everyone encounters with, which in case of Iran is “Tashayo”. In Addition to “Imamate (Incumbency of an Imam) and Justice”, which is the essential, distinctive and characteristic aspect of  “Tashayo”, the key domains of “Sociology of Shia” can be categorized in eight fields follows:

1. Social History of “Tashayo”
2. Clergymen and Authority of Marja’iyyat
3. Tashayo, Politics and Power
4. Rituals, Festivals (Eyds) and Mourning (Azadari)
5. Mahdaviat
6. Esotericism, Mysticism and Tasavvuf
7. Pilgrimage and Religious Places
8. Shi'ite Literature and Arts

Due to philosophical, mystical, Kalaami (Scholastic) and Feq-hi (Islamic jurisprudence) dimensions of the aforementioned domains, some texts have been evaluated and assessed by “Sociology of Shia Studies Circle”. These texts are either produced by sociologists or apply sociological “theories, methods and approaches” in their interpretation of “Tashayo”. “Sociology of Shia Studies Circle” does not include mere theoretical studies, historical monographs, kalaami discussions or any other branches of Islamic religious studies prevalent in Shia Clergy Schools that their chief trend is to propagate, prescribe or valuate religious beliefs and do not fit into the domain of study of “Sociology of Shia Studies”.

Sociological bibliography of “Tashayo”

Bibliography is an essential part of every research. We have established identification of all texts produced in the field of “Sociology of Shia” in Iran available in National Library of Iran, as our focus in “Sociology of Shia Study Circle”. Hundreds of books were identified which were further examined, discussed and sorted based on our criteria and we selected books and texts having social approaches in each of the above domains. These texts have been studied and criticized as references in sociology of Shia. There have been several sessions on some of these books which their introduction and report is available online. This research has been an ongoing path which continues to be published as “Critical bibliography of Sociology of Shia in Iran”.