the “political functions” of “pilgrimage” in shiite political culture

In this paper, the political functions of pilgrimage in shiite political culture at both national andinternational levels are studied. it is attempting to answer the question of what are the political functionsof pilgrimage in shiite political culture and how do they affect the political arena at national andinternational levels? the article is inspired by durkheim's theory of the impact of social rituals onsolidarity, theoretical literature on political socialization, as well as on the political effects of the religiousand spiritual. however, the paper does not emphasize these theories as the theoretical framework of thearticle, because they are shaped in contexts that have little to do with iranian society. therefore, relyingon them can lead to misleading results in scientific research in relation to iranian society. at the nationallevel, the functions of political socialization, the development of personal and social identity, politicalstability and the strengthening of national solidarity have been examined as political functions ofpilgrimage. strengthening solidarity among nations, expanding intergovernmental relations, strengtheningregional political discourses, political and media streaming, and enhancing cultural deterrencecapabilities have also been described as political functions of pilgrimage to the international arena. theresearch method used in this study is a qualitative method of documentary analysis and the results showthat the role of pilgrimage in shiite political culture is not only in the field of rituals and has a greatinfluence in the political field.