An Investigation into the Narrative Function of Ashura in the Collective Ritual-Social Trauma Therapy of Shia with an Emphasis on the Lives of Women Survivors of the Ashura Event

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of English Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.

2 Corresponding Author, Department of English Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Karaj, Iran.

3 Department of English Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e Qods Branch, Shahr-e Qods, Iran.

Abstract

Objective: The present study aims to investigate the narrative function of Ashura in the process of Shiite ritual-social trauma therapy and to provide a scientific response to the internal and external suspicious people. In this study, while paying attention to the psychological dimensions of the Ashura event, its mystical, spiritual, and theological aspects have not been neglected.
Method: This study was conducted with an interdisciplinary approach and a descriptive-analytical method, using library resources, the works of scholars of the theory of literary trauma, such as Katie Kroth, Judith Herman, and Mikhail Balaev, and analyzing Shiite narratives.
Results: The findings of the study show that the Ashura incident is a traumatic event in the history of Islam that has affected the collective unconscious of the Shiite community and, like collective trauma (social psychological trauma) and intergenerational trauma, has been transmitted from one generation to another in the context of history and has contributed to the stability of the Shiite identity. One of the functions of the ceremony of remembering the tragedy of Imam Hussein and his companions, which has also been emphasized by the Shiite Imams, is the narration of the story of Ashura in the form of storytelling for ritual-social trauma therapy. The people involved in this incident, especially the women present at the Karbala incident, have recovered this inexpressible collective trauma by mentioning the story of the event and using stimuli that evoke trauma, and while reducing the destructive psychological effects, have turned it into a constructive opportunity. The discharge of the destructive emotions of the Ashura trauma in the context of narration and storytelling has led to psychological purification, preservation of collective identity, transfer of values, and as a result, gaining authority and a desirable social status.
Conclusions: The results of the present study show that the philosophy of repeating the Ashura narrative is not a null and boring thing, but rather an intelligent and scientific method for social suffering treatment that, through therapeutic storytelling and the use of associative stimuli, allows the Shiite community to be free from the psychosocial effects of this deep trauma and transform it into an asset for identity, authority, and social solidarity. This tradition, which was founded under the guidance of Imam Sajjad and the surviving women of Karbala, especially Hazrat Zeinab, was consolidated over the centuries and today has emerged in the form of large gatherings such as the Arba'in walk, as the outcome of the process of years of narrative and ritual-social trauma therapy in Shiite discourse.

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References

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