TR
EN
From Lament to Resistance: Theopolitical Mourning in Shia Islam and Biblical Traditions
Abstract
This article compares mourning and lamentation in Biblical religiosity and Shia Islam within this essay. This study moves away from the tendency of academics to see grief as a mere psychological reaction to death. Instead, as a practice, it sees grief as theological, social and political. Based on ritual theory and the continuing bonds approach, the present article builds on earlier work in arguing for mourning and memorialization as a tool to preserve memory and to protest ethically. Biblical mourning is examined as a form of moral protest and theological questioning through a conceptual analysis of sacred texts and ritual performances. In addition, Shia mourning a collective act of ritualized ethical and political devotion through, for example, ta’ziyeh and matam, positions the sacred suffering of Imam Hussein as a source of justice. A discussion of Biblical and Shia Mourning indicates that both practices of lamentation negotiate divine silence and political exile; further, both practices allow believers to strengthen their ties with the dead and collective identity. This paper adds to our understanding of mourning by regarding grief as an affective performative. Ritualized mourning practices in both traditions, therefore, are counter-discursive responses against the dominant power. In other words, in both Biblical and Shia mourning, the use of grief must definitely be considered as an instrument of political and ethical unpacking of death and suffering in the margins ascertaining the dignity of the victim. The article further argues that the transmission and ritualization of mourning contribute to the formation of a shared ethical grammar across historical contexts and sectarian differences.
Keywords
Ethical Statement
In this research article, ethics committee permission was not required as the data were not obtained using surveyor interview techniques.
References
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- Assmann, J. (1995). Collective memory and cultural identity. New German Critique, 65, 125-133. https://doi.org/10.2307/488538
- Attig, T. (2011). How we grieve: Relearning the world (Rev. ed.). Oxford University Press.
- Bayram, K. (2026). Sivil din teorisinin paradigmatik inşası: Bellah, Durkheim ve Rousseau arasında. İmgelem, (18), 327-354. https://doi.org/10.53791/imgelem.1844541
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Sociology of Religion, Sociology of Culture, Middle East Studies
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
May 31, 2026
Submission Date
January 10, 2026
Acceptance Date
March 10, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Number: 19
APA
Ayaz, H., & Korzec, C. (2026). From Lament to Resistance: Theopolitical Mourning in Shia Islam and Biblical Traditions. İmgelem, 19, 348-373. https://doi.org/10.53791/imgelem.1860658
AMA
1.Ayaz H, Korzec C. From Lament to Resistance: Theopolitical Mourning in Shia Islam and Biblical Traditions. İMGELEM. 2026;(19):348-373. doi:10.53791/imgelem.1860658
Chicago
Ayaz, Hacer, and Cezary Korzec. 2026. “From Lament to Resistance: Theopolitical Mourning in Shia Islam and Biblical Traditions”. İmgelem, nos. 19: 348-73. https://doi.org/10.53791/imgelem.1860658.
EndNote
Ayaz H, Korzec C (May 1, 2026) From Lament to Resistance: Theopolitical Mourning in Shia Islam and Biblical Traditions. İmgelem 19 348–373.
IEEE
[1]H. Ayaz and C. Korzec, “From Lament to Resistance: Theopolitical Mourning in Shia Islam and Biblical Traditions”, İMGELEM, no. 19, pp. 348–373, May 2026, doi: 10.53791/imgelem.1860658.
ISNAD
Ayaz, Hacer - Korzec, Cezary. “From Lament to Resistance: Theopolitical Mourning in Shia Islam and Biblical Traditions”. İmgelem. 19 (May 1, 2026): 348-373. https://doi.org/10.53791/imgelem.1860658.
JAMA
1.Ayaz H, Korzec C. From Lament to Resistance: Theopolitical Mourning in Shia Islam and Biblical Traditions. İMGELEM. 2026;:348–373.
MLA
Ayaz, Hacer, and Cezary Korzec. “From Lament to Resistance: Theopolitical Mourning in Shia Islam and Biblical Traditions”. İmgelem, no. 19, May 2026, pp. 348-73, doi:10.53791/imgelem.1860658.
Vancouver
1.Hacer Ayaz, Cezary Korzec. From Lament to Resistance: Theopolitical Mourning in Shia Islam and Biblical Traditions. İMGELEM. 2026 May 1;(19):348-73. doi:10.53791/imgelem.1860658