(Identity Deconstruction in the Arbaeen Pilgrimage from the Perspective of the "Communitas" Concept (Turner

✍️Alireza Ghorbani – Social Researcher 

**Introduction: Arbaeen as a Ritual Lifeworld** 

The Arbaeen pilgrimage transcends mere religious ritual, becoming a stage for the re-creation of collective identity on an unprecedented scale. Victor Turner, the prominent anthropologist, proposes the concept of "Communitas" to describe moments of ritual transition where social hierarchies are temporarily suspended, and humans forge a collective experience in an egalitarian state devoid of structural distinctions. Arbaeen, as one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, exemplifies this concept: millions of pilgrims from diverse national, ethnic, class, and religious backgrounds (Shia, Sunni, Christian, and even non-Muslim) create a new "transnational identity" within a meta-structural space—founded not on geography or politics but on "allegiance to the discourse of Ashura." This emergent identity neither negates prior identities nor opposes them; instead, like a macro-umbrella, it integrates sub-identities into a meaningful constellation. 

**Liminal Space: Suspension of Social Hierarchy** 

The path from Najaf to Karbala functions as a "liminal space" where the rules governing daily life are suspended. Turner calls this an "anti-structural condition"—a place where markers of class distinction (attire, occupation, wealth, nationality) lose meaning. An Iranian doctor and an Iraqi farmer stand in the same food line; an Indonesian woman and a Pakistani man rest on a shared rug; the wealthy and poor sleep in the same tent. Field research shows over 80% of pilgrims describe this experience as the "suspension of social distinctions," identifying themselves not as citizens of conventional nations but as "members of the unified Hussaini Ummah." This condition temporarily erases "structural roles" (parent, manager, worker), replacing them with "ritual duties" (serving, pilgrimage, mourning for Imam Hussain (AS)), which are identical for all. 

**Mechanisms of Deconstruction: Affection as Symbolic Capital** 

Three key mechanisms enable identity deconstruction in Arbaeen: 

- **Negation of exchange economy**: *Mawkibs* (service stations) challenge transactional logic by offering free food, drink, accommodation, and medical care. These acts operate not on material profit but on an "endowment-based economy" and "ethics of giving." An Iraqi pilgrim donating his home to an Iranian seeks neither reciprocity nor gain but reproduces the model of "sacrifice" as new symbolic capital. This process transforms "self/other" boundaries in conventional identity systems. 

- **Redefining collective embodiment**: The long walk strips bodies of markers of distinction (fashion, cosmetics, luxury items), subordinating them to a shared purpose (Ashura-inspired circumambulation). Fatigue, foot pain, thirst, and hunger create shared bodily experiences that synchronize pilgrims into a "collective rhythm." This shared corporeal experience forges new "identity memories" based on shared suffering (not race or class). 

- **Transnational discourse formation**: Shared slogans like *"Labbaik ya Hussain"* or *"Whoever killed Hussain supports Israel"* (in recent years) construct a transnational discourse that dismantles religion, language, and nationality. Content analysis reveals concepts like "anti-oppression," "sacrifice," and "awaiting redemption" (انتظار فرج) as key elements of this discourse, holding identical meaning for Indian, Pakistani, Iraqi, and Iranian pilgrims. 

**Ahl al-Bayt’s Affection: The Core of Identity Formation** 

At the heart of this meta-structural identity lies "affection for Ahl al-Bayt" as the driving force. Unlike national identities that often rely on enmity ("othering"), the Arbaeen identity rests on the "attraction of love." Ethnographic studies confirm even non-Muslim pilgrims (Christians, Yazidis) are drawn not by fear or coercion but by the "affection-centered ethics" of this space. A Christian pilgrim states in interviews: *"This is the only place you can live for a month without money; the love I see in the servers’ eyes draws me to Imam Hussain (AS)."* This affection is the symbolic fuel of communitas, circulating material and symbolic capital to create "transnational trust." An Iranian pilgrim trusts an Iraqi stranger because he sees him as a "servant of Imam Hussain (AS)," not a "foreigner." 

**Structure/Anti-structure Dialectic: Arbaeen vs. the Modern World** 

Arbaeen stands in dialectical opposition to the modern world: 

- Where liberalism promotes "radical individualism" and "hedonism," Arbaeen sanctifies "radical collectivism" and "ritual austerity." 

- Where nation-states enforce "hard borders," Arbaeen promotes "fluid boundaries." 

- Where media fuels "polarizing discourses" (Shia/Sunni, Iran/Arab), Arbaeen actualizes "trans-sectarian empathy." 

This contrast does not reject modernity absolutely but signifies the "transmutation of modernity within the Arbaeen discourse": using technology (social media, transport) to spread affection, deploying media to "display solidarity" instead of difference, and transforming nation-states into "facilitators of transnational bonds." 

**Political and Social Implications: From Identity to Collective Action** 

Arbaeen’s communitas is not merely a transient mystical experience but a birthplace for new political agency: 

- **Building Shia soft power**: The 25-million-strong pilgrimage displays Shia "symbolic authority" in the Middle East’s political geography, countering "takfiri hegemony" that long portrayed Shias as a "marginalized minority." 

- **Redefining human security**: In a region divided by ISIS terror, Arbaeen proves millions can coexist non-violently. Its "bottom-up security" models "people’s diplomacy" for post-ISIS Iraq. 

- **Globalizing resistance discourse**: Pro-Palestine slogans in Karbala institutionalize the link between "Ashura" and "Palestine" in collective consciousness, liberating resistance discourse from national confines into a "transnational value." 

**Conclusion: Arbaeen as a Temporary Ideal Society** 

The Arbaeen pilgrimage, through Turner’s communitas, creates an anomic yet meaningful space where "social ontology" transforms: humans are measured not by "possessions" or "lineage" but by the "intensity of love for Imam Hussain (AS)." This forges a "temporary utopia" where rich and poor sleep side-by-side, former enemies (Iran-Iraq) become brothers, and weary bodies nurture buoyant souls. Yet Arbaeen’s revolutionary power lies precisely in its *temporariness*: this communitas neither seeks permanence nor aims to dissolve states. Like a roaring river, it temporarily washes away rigid social structures to prove "another world is possible"—one where affection prevails over hatred, giving over exchange, and unity over division. This is the pilgrims’ souvenir from Karbala: the memory of a world that *could* be, and perhaps one day *will* be. 

**Conceptual References** 

- Turner, Victor (1969). *The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure*. 

- Givehian & Amini (2017). *Affection and Identity in the Global Display of Arbaeen*. Journal of Religion and Communication. 

- Taherkhani et al. (2021). *Arbaeen Pilgrimage as a Symbol of Muslim Collective Identity Formation*. Social Sciences Quarterly. 

- Mousavi (2024). *Identity and Function of Arbaeen in Ayatollah Khamenei’s Intellectual Framework*. Hussaini Knowledge Research Journal.