Bio: (1933–77) Iranian sociologist and philosopher. Ali Shariati received a doctorate from the Sorbonne in 1964 and taught at Mashhad University and Housseiniye Ershad Religious Institute.

Shariati is one of the most notable supporters of the Islamic revolutionary movement directed against the government of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, for which he was imprisoned several times by the shah’s secret police. Shariati was a strong critic of Western modernity and the modernization policies of the Pahlavi regime, arguing that they functioned as tools of cultural and economic domination. Influenced by existentialism, Marxism, and Shi’a Islam, he believed Western consumerism undermined traditional societies by destroying self-sufficient economies and local patterns of consumption, while also eroding cultural identity, leading to a sense of alienation or “emptying” of the authentic self.

In his books Fatimah is Fatimah (1971), The Intellectual and his Responsibility in Society (1972), and Whence Do We Begin? (1975), Shariati emphasized the crucial role of intellectuals in resisting Western cultural imperialism, but criticized them for being disconnected from the masses and for abandoning their religious roots. Shariati rejected secularism, arguing that religion—especially Islam—could serve as a powerful force against imperialism. He also highlighted the problem of “dual societies,” where a small modernized elite is separated from an impoverished majority, and argued that religiously committed intellectuals should bridge this divide.

Central to his thought was the idea of human existence as a struggle between material life and spiritual fulfillment. He viewed true self-realization as a movement toward spirituality, though he acknowledged a constant tension between human freedom and submission to God. While critical of aspects of Marxism, Shariati adopted its language of oppression and collective struggle, rejecting individualism in favor of collective agency. He developed a revolutionary Islamic perspective in which the will of the people reflects divine authority, and where the message of the Qur’an gives salvation and empowerment to the ‘‘disempowered’’ – oppressed and exploited masses. Although he stressed social justice and popular agency, Shariati did not advocate liberal democracy; instead, he supported leadership by a charismatic religious figure.

Main works

Fatimah is Fatimah (1971);

The Intellectual and his Responsibility in Society (1972);

Whence Do We Begin? (1975);

Community and Leadership (1979);

On the Sociology of Islam (1980a);

Marxism and Other Western Fallacies (1980b).