Behold Thine Enemy

Power and Politics in Hizbullah’s ʿAshura Rituals

Bibliographic Data

ID6442340
AuthorsSarah Hamdar (0009-0009-8162-0570, American University of Beirut, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume17
Issue4
Pages337-358
Publication date2025-01-20
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMiddle East Journal of Culture and Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1873-9857 • E-ISSN: 1873-9865
PublisherBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/18739865-01704001
OpenAlexW4406715901
LanguageEN
References cited24

The annual commemoration of Imam Hussein’s martyrdom has been a method of preserving the memory of the Karbala battle, but contemporary practices reflect a political dimension. This text focuses on Hizbullah’s public mourning commemorations and argues that the physical gatherings and their mediation are part of Hizbullah’s larger political communication strategy as they reflect power dynamics and emphasize the party’s political values. Accordingly, the article uncovers the role of the rituals in articulating territorial, religious and political power as well as supporters’ loyalty to Sayyed Nasrullah. It also demonstrates the significance of the rituals in emphasizing multiple nationalist discourses, expressing social and political ideals and providing a basis for interpreting political events. By drawing on Hussein’s martyrdom, Hizbullah utilizes ʿAshura as an empty or floating signifier whereby the party contemporizes the battle to suit its needs as it becomes the site of contemporary activist reinterpretation

Behold · Theology · Middle East Politics and Society · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Philosophy · Political Theology and Sovereignty

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