The Methodology of Ali Shari’ati: A Comparison with Durkheim’s and Weber’s Sociology of Religion

Abstract

Ali Shari’ati was an ideologue par excellence, who through his writings and fiery speeches was able to attract the young intelligentsia of Iran and prepare them for the cataclysmic movement that took place in 1979. The methodology adopted by Ali Shari’ati in his study of religion was different from two classical sociologists. The objective of this paper is to highlight how Ali Shari’ati differed in his sociology of religion from sociologists, such as Emilé Durkheim and Max Weber. Through thematic content analysis, the works of the authors were reviewed to understand their methodology. The findings of this paper outline the methodology adopted by Ali Shari’ati, which was different, both, in its approach and the tools used to analyze religion. Though there was a shift in methodology when compared to classical sociologists, this paper agrees that the methodology of Ali Shari’ati was the best suited to study a deeply religious Asian society such as Iran.