The Status of Social Capital in the Context of the Soft Power With an Emphasis on the View of Imam Khomeini (peace be upon him)

The most important issues in recent decades, are the new version of power that is called soft power which has made great changes in power, its elements, components and application. Although its modern and current literature has been theorized by the western thinkers like J. Nye, yet the victory of Imam Khomeini’s revolution was shaped by using the social and cultural elements that today are recognized as soft power. One of these elements is the concept that is called social capital which Imam Khomeini has been used as the bridge to the victory of revolution through precise and correct explanation, application and also comprehensive knowledge of public opinion culture and characteristics. This paper is aimed to focus on the concept of social capital with an emphasis on Imam Khomeini’s thoughts specially social and political thoughts. At first, his thoughts witch are based on social capital including elements, components, and importance for a constructing an Islamic society is explained and then the historical role of the people and continuity of its qualitative as well as quantitative presence is discussed, as this role has contributed in producing and reproducing social capital towards identity and cultural authority of the country. This social capital is shaped gradually by individual and collective measures, and its roots could be recognized in a historical process by making rational network, a sense of confidence, intersubjective understanding and public participation with the aim of internal cohesion of society. It should be considered that in the last century of Iranian history, there are different discontinuities and ruptures which have prevented the synergy and the accumulation of social capital. This paper is to answer this question that what is the status of social capital in Imam Khomeini’s thoughts? And how Imam Khomeini has tried to build an identity construct of Islamic system by using the social identity of people?