The Process of Socialising the Mothers of Shi'a Imams and Social Mobility

Abstract

Shi'ism as a religious-political movement has always been suppressed by hostile regimes. This research seeks to explore the resources and facilities used by the mothers of Shi'a Imams to preserve and promote Shi'ism. The authors believe that under the educational system of the Infallible Imams they gained a suitable social base to allow social participation. This paper, drawing on historical documents and the technique of open content analysis, aims to examine their social base in the stratified system of the Imamate. The findings suggest that although these mothers did not have any capital to propagate Shi'a causes at the outset, after marrying Imams, they engaged in the process of secondary socialisation and achieved social, cultural and symbolic capital as a result of social mobility, which was a key factor in preserving the lives of the Imams and advancing Shi'a causes.