Lamenting the real and crying for the really real: Searching for silences and mourning martyrdom amongst Iranian volunteer militants

Abstract

Martyrdom, sacrifice, and the dedication of one's life to fight for a higher cause are central themes of Shi'i militancy. I recount my journey among Iranian Shi'i youth who fought or enlisted to fight in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria, to trace their ineffable experiences and silences, which they used to justify desires for martyrdom. I explore by way of an ethnography of mourning and the lamentation ceremonies of Muharram how individuals’ ineffable experiences and perplexities emerge as explanations of their own commitment to the cause. I call on the Lacanian Real to discuss how people craft the unarticulated, the unsaid and networks to navigate their subjectivity while they encounter the divine. I broaden the Lacanian Real through an exploration of Shi'i mystical notions, in order to address how Lacan's work can be applied in non‐European traditions of the unsaid and the unarticulated.

From Attachment to a Sacred Figure to Loyalty to a Sacred Route: The Walking Pilgrimage of Arbaeen

“…It provides different role models ranging from archetypal heroes to perpetrators and victims, and from tragic protagonists to ambiguous figures (Gölz 2019). During the centuries, the Karbala paradigm has become central in Shia rituals, religious practices, and politics (Saramifar 2018). According to Giesen (2015), heroes function in the construction of communities' collective identity.…”

“…The strong passion for the beloved Imam causes a sense of selflessness among pilgrims, making them agitated to reach his shrine sooner. Saramifar (2018) represents the same sense of Shia Imams' magnetism among volunteers who fight against ISIS to protect Imams' shrines.…”