Identity-Constructing Hey'at: The Ecosystem of the Ashura-Based System in Confrontation with the Global Oppressive System

This study explores the identity-constructing Hey'at as a dynamic socio-political ecosystem rooted in the Ashuraic tradition, functioning beyond a mere mourning institution to orchestrate identity formation, othering, force generation, and opposition to global oppression. Drawing on the theories of Henri Tajfel, Joseph Nye, and Charles Tilly, it addresses two key questions: what constitutes the identity-constructing Hey'at and what types of identity it produces, and what are its structural features and active actors? The analysis reveals the Hey'at as a self-sustaining system that produces oppression-resisting, revolutionary, and mobilizable identities through mechanisms like jihad of elucidation and the Ziyarat Ashura manifesto. Its intrinsic political nature, spontaneity, and global outreach, coupled with the roles of maddahs, clerics, and members, enable it to challenge oppressive systems and institutionalize resistance, as evidenced in the Islamic Revolution and Sacred Defense. The Hey'at remains a potent driver of the global resistance discourse.

Keywords:

Identity-constructing Hey'at , Ashura , resistance , jihad of elucidation , socio-political system , Ziyarat Ashura , soft power , social identity , resource mobilization