Iraq’s Sources of Emulation
Scholarly Capital and Competition in Contemporary Shiʿism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12980400 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elvire Corboz (0000-0003-3416-7741, University of Edinburgh, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 445-465 |
| Publication date | 2019-10-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Middle East Critique (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1943-6149 • E-ISSN: 1943-6157 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/19436149.2019.1664767 |
| OpenAlex | W2979903765 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 10 |
Religious knowledge is at the heart of the Shiʿi system of clerical authority known as the marjaʿiyya. Given the multiplicity of more or less well-established claimants to the position, this article explores the scholarly credentials of the contemporary marjaʿ[source of emulation; pl. marājiʿ]. I conceptualize the marjaʿiyya in accordance with Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of the field in order to examine how scholarly capital is defined, and possibly redefined, by 14 religious scholars competing in this marjaʿiyya field in Iraq. To do so, I use their ‘official’ biographies in Arabic and analyze the types of credentials of scholarly capital that are put forth to legitimate the claims of these marājiʿ. I argue that, despite the multiplicity and diversity of contenders, there is a fair degree of homogeneity in the ways scholarly capital is defined. In the biographies, the marājiʿ’s scholarly capital is validated against three broad indicators: their inherited scholarly capital, which stems from their family background; their educational capital; and the intellectual-scientific prestige capital derived from their scholarly and teaching activities. The credentials emphasized in the different biographies are generally much alike, and if a marjaʿ does not satisfy them, ‘almost-like’ credentials are constructed. Abidance to shared codes and practices reflects, as well as contributes to, the stability of the marjaʿiyya field
Capital (architecture · Cultural capital · Linguistics · Political science · Prestige · Scholarship · Social science · Sociology · Education and Islamic Studies · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Philosophy · Socioeconomic Development in MENA
Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education
Guardians of Shi’ism
The Making of a Marjaʿ
The Najaf Ḥawzah Curriculum
Lebanese Shi‵ites and The Marja‵iyya
The Shi'i Construction of Taqlid
Awza instruction and its role in shaping modern Shɨ‘ite identity
Conceptions of Authority in Iraqi Shi'ism
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |