Sociological Cultural Studies

Sociological Cultural Studies

The Logic of Meaning-Making in Shariati’s Discourse of Religious Reform: Processes of Historicization, Socialization, and Ideologization

Document Type : .

Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and Law, Women and Family Faculty, Qom, Iran
2 PhD in Religious Studies, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
10.30465/scs.2025.53210.3072
Abstract
This article, by focusing on the project of meaning-making in Shariati’s discourse, seeks to uncover the internal logic of how religious concepts are reconstructed within his thought. The central question is how Shariati, in confronting the crises of colonialism, despotism, and historical alienation, transforms religion into an instrument of liberation and socio-political transformation. To address this question, the study employs a two-layered theoretical framework: Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory, which enables a macro-level analysis of the mechanisms of meaning production and exclusion in discourses; and an internal analysis of Shariati’s meaning-making processes, centered on the three mechanisms of historicization, socialization, and ideologization. The findings indicate that these mechanisms reconfigure religious doctrines such as Imamate, Expectation, and Martyrdom, shifting them from a purely theological and sacred register to tools for organizing collective action, political resistance, and the reconstruction of religious identity. The study further shows that Shariati’s discourse can be conceptualized as a meaning-oriented discourse, in which the reconstruction of religious concepts functions not merely as theoretical interpretation but as a purposeful and organized process linking religion to historical and social transformations. Ultimately, this process yields a new understanding of the relationship between religion, society, and religious reform in contemporary Iran.
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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 13 December 2025