Religion and social capital/ Analysis of Social Capacities of the Islamic society of Iran

Social capital is a contextual concept and religion is one of the most important factors in its investigation. This research tries to provide a picture of social capital in the Islamic society of Iran. The first step towards shaping a framework for the concept is finding an answer to these questions: What is the core of social capital? What is the motivation of the actor to do activities in networks? What are the components (sources) of social capital? In adapting the above framework in the context of Iran, two historical and contemporary aspects are considered. Investigating the social structure of Iran showed that the structural social capital is very weak due to the limited and trivial presence and impact of formal group and networks. The teachings of Islam on the one hand promote and strengthen the sources of social capital and on the other hand approve and recommend its cognitive elements. Contrary to the west, social capital in Iran had been rich and powerful in cognitive terms, and provides the incentives for growth and prosperity. This conclusion also makes it possible to determine the components and techniques of emergence of social capital in the context of Iran.