A Review ofthe Recent Theoretical Approaches towards Resistance Action

The present study discusses the issue of resistance as a common, prevalent, and pivotal concept in the recent literature on political sociology and cultural studies.Using documentary method, library sources, and theoretical analysis, the paper tries to study the features and elements of resistance, its forms and practical aspects based on primarily available sources. Additionally, the relationship between resistance and power was studied in the light of Foucault’s ideas and his postmodernist interpretation of power.Finally, common elements of resistance were extracted from the prominent works referred to by contemporary theorists such as Bourdieu, Giddens, Fisk, de Certeau, Scott, Clay, Bayat, Kamrava, and other local experts and researchers. Findings show that although there are obvious differences in this regard, the following prevalent features can be considered as resistance features in recent theoretical approaches: identical occurrence of resistance-based action, conflict with the present conditions, interactive nature of resistance, occurrences in daily life, attendance of power and resistance, presence of creativity, importance of time in occurrence of resistance, and desirability of resistance-based action. Yet, resistance is still a complicated concept that is created socially by resistors, resistance addressees, and witnesses and is somewhat in relationship with universal, pervasive, and generative power.