Document Type : Research/Original/Regular Article
Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Relief and rescue workers of the Red Crescent Society are among the influential and key forces in the development of emergency aid, cultural, and health services in the country. This research aims to analyze the performance and role of the Iranian Red Crescent Society—as a highly ancient, symbolic institution influenced by political and social structures—during the Sacred Defense era, based on institutional theory.
During the Sacred Defense, Iran's "institutional field" was completely transformed, and the Red Crescent found itself at the center of these developments. Relying on documentary analysis and in-depth, semi-structured interviews, this study seeks to answer the following questions: To what extent did the Red Crescent's performance during the Sacred Defense contribute to its legitimacy at both the national and global levels? The findings of this research demonstrate how the Red Crescent, to ensure its institutional survival and success during the war, aligned itself not with global standards, but with the requirements of a thoroughly national and revolutionary institutional field. In doing so, it simultaneously acted as both an instrument of the state and a symbol of the people's sacrifice. This period served as a pivotal turning point for the Red Crescent, enabling it to mobilize widespread public support and carry out its humanitarian mission in the most effective manner possible.
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