Performativität des Mordes
Aufführung des Märtyrertums in Ta’ziya als ein schiitisches Theater-Ritual
[Performativity of Murder. The Performance of Martyrdom in Ta’ziye as a Shi’ite Dramatic Ritual]

In the Shi’ite tradition, the figure of the martyr is characterized by the events in 680 AD in Karbala, when Hussain, grandson of the prophet Mohammad, was killed alongside his family and followers. Shortly after the murder, Hussain’s fate and the tradition of mourning rituals surrounding his death became a central element of protest movements throughout the Islamic world, particularly among non-Arab Muslims who were subject to the power of the caliphs of the time. The political success and cultural power of the Shia during the Safavid era (1501–1722) marks the beginning of the fictionalization of the events in Karbala and the transformation of a ritual of mourning and sacrifice into a theatrical ritual of martyrdom (Ta’ziye) that is being prominently and publicly performed during the months of mourning to this day.

The popularity of Ta’ziye as a sociocultural phenomenon remains unbroken, even though the respective dominant cultures only sparsely identify with it. Thus, the Ta’ziye was often prohibited by political rulers and the clergy. This study explores the characteristics of a martyr in the Shi’ite and especially in the Iranian tradition when it is being performed on stage by a collective and for a collective. Here, the martyrdom of the Ta’ziye is interpreted as a performative phenomenon that is more concerned with the cultural presence of the martyr than with their treatment on a textual level.