The aim of this study is to understand and explain the social, cultural, and symbolic meanings of a public gathering during the “Ramadan War” in the city of Borujerd through an ethnographic approach. The study seeks to demonstrate how collective actions, symbols, bodies, and urban spaces within this gathering contribute to the production and representation of concepts such as social solidarity, collective identity, and the discourse of resistance. This research adopts a qualitative methodology grounded in ethnography. Data were collected through ethnographic observation, interviews, and the analysis of a set of images documented from the gathering. The data were analyzed using ethnographic conceptual frameworks such as thick description, communitas, the social production of space, and the ethnography of the body. The analysis focused on signs, symbols, bodily practices, placards, and the ways participants inhabited and used public space. The findings indicate that during this gathering, urban space temporarily transcended its ordinary functions and became a stage for the representation of collective rituals and identity meanings. The presence of popular mukebs (volunteer service stations), flags, the recitation of supplications, and the collective movement of participants created a symbolic re-enactment of ritual experiences such as the Arbaeen pilgrimage walk on a local scale. Moreover, the body and clothing of participants through symbols such as keffiyehs, headbands, flags, and placards functioned as communicative media for expressing collective identity and the discourse of resistance.
tajbakhsh, G. (2026). Night Gatherings during the Ramazan War: An Ethnographic Study. (e255027). Strategy for Culture, 18(72), e255027 https://doi.org/10.22034/jsfc.2026.581590.2914
MLA
tajbakhsh, G. "Night Gatherings during the Ramazan War: An Ethnographic Study" .e255027 , Strategy for Culture, 18, 72, 2026, e255027. doi: 10.22034/jsfc.2026.581590.2914
HARVARD
tajbakhsh, G. (2026). 'Night Gatherings during the Ramazan War: An Ethnographic Study', Strategy for Culture, 18(72), e255027. doi: 10.22034/jsfc.2026.581590.2914
CHICAGO
tajbakhsh, G., "Night Gatherings during the Ramazan War: An Ethnographic Study." Strategy for Culture, 18 72 (2026): e255027, doi: 10.22034/jsfc.2026.581590.2914
VANCOUVER
tajbakhsh G. Night Gatherings during the Ramazan War: An Ethnographic Study. Strategy for Culture. 2026;18(72):e255027 (In Persian). doi: 10.22034/jsfc.2026.581590.2914