The Crystallization of "Dignity-Oriented Rationality" in Religious Activism: A Comparative Study of the Views of Peter Blau and Martyr Motahari in the Context of the Arbaeen Mega-Event

The Arbaeen mega-event, as a transnational phenomenon, poses profound theoretical challenges to classical sociological theories, particularly social exchange theory. This research aims to explain the paradigmatic contrast between Peter Blau's "exchange rationality" and Martyr Motahari's "dignity-oriented rationality" within the context of Arbaeen activism. The present study employs a comparative "qualitative secondary analysis." For this purpose, six selected field studies conducted through interviews and participant observation were analyzed as primary sources of raw data. The analytical strategy was "theory-driven thematic analysis." Data analysis across seven axes revealed that in the Arbaeen field, the core concepts derived from actors' lived experiences—namely "selfless service," "duty-orientation," "love for Imam Hussein (AS)," "barakah (divine blessing)," "anonymity," and "sacred suffering"—are incompatible with the fundamental assumptions of Blau's paradigm (cost-benefit calculation, expectation of reciprocal reward, status distinction, and vainglory). Conversely, they fully align with Martyr Motahari's paradigm (redefining "profit" as otherworldly reward, the logic of epic, spiritual self-sufficiency, mastery through service, and the economy of barakah). The findings indicate the predominance of "substantive rationality" and "dignity-oriented rationality" over "formal rationality" and "instrumental rationality" in Arbaeen. Five fundamental and distinctive principles of dignity-oriented rationality—"duty-orientation," "spiritual self-sufficiency," "the economy of barakah," "mastery through service," and "the transcendent other"—underscore the necessity of rethinking the foundations of Western theories in analyzing phenomena within Islamic societies.