نشریه دین و ارتباطات
سال هفدهم شماره 1 (بهار، تابستان، پاییز و زمستان 1389)

Sport and culture interaction has been given a place in most social studies in recent century, and the media has been dedicated an active and effective role as a third party. The media is actually at the core of sport championship attention due to its high image cultivation potential and cultural hegemony stabilization. The Olympic Games mark a turning point in the contemporary sports championship era due to their international impact and their being recognized as an index of sustained development political and economic stability, and social hope and liveliness. Thus, The Beijing Olympics (2008), at a time when the Chinese government endeavored to prove an active part in the international arena, whether or not it could manage to obtain such a prestige, can be considered as one of the most important areas for studying the media and sport and culture image status in politics and international power relations in present time. In one of the article sections there is a study of the Chinese determination for launching a distinctive plan for the games on the one hand and their meeting with resistance in the way of holding the event on the other. This is in itself some evidence of the significant role the Olympic Games have played in the international power relations. A descriptive and exploratory method has been used by the article to illustrate this aspect of the Olympics as a "cultural industry" in the international cultural communication in the present time, some valuable information to be presented to Iranian media and cultural policy making officials for consideration.

Egyptian history has often shown challenges and epoch-making events. It has been the center of theoretical and practical movement. The article discuss topics such as Fatimid Caliphate, Shia's activities, Shia culture, Shias contemporary presence, Shia's present condition, Shia-oriented personalities, and Shia organizations. These can help us gain a vivid picture of Shia community in Egypt and the degree of the acceptance of Shia culture by Egyptian people,

This article tries to offer a definition of popular literature and its characteristics, with the purpose of distinguishing it as a separate genre. The necessity of surveying this genre, which is both affecting and being affected by society’s culture, is then emphasized, and by defining the subject within the broader theoretical framework of popular culture and sublime culture, two typical views about this kind of literature are introduced, and by considering the positive and negative attitudes towards the existence and expansion of that in the society, a third attitude is presented which aims at eliminating the existing shortcomings on the one hand, and recognizing and stimulating the strong and practical features of it on the other, in order to benefit from its capacities. Furthermore, a new dimension is proposed to be added to this type of literature i.e. commitment in its human and religious meaning which could contribute further to the necessity of propagating it in the society.

“Religious identity” is a new concept as compared to “social identity” and “national identity”, but despite its high significance, less time has been allocated to it. The few articles and researches dealing with the issue are lacking in a clear definition of the concept. Instead, they have directed their attention to the components of religious identity, a situation that has negatively affected the theoretical basis of those works. This article, on the contrary, tries to offer a definition of the subject prior to answering about its components. The proposed components are as follows: 1) epistemological components, 2) emotional components, 3) social components, 4) cultural components. These are explained in their own turn in the final section of the article.

The occurrence of revolutionary movements in Arabic Countries, as the modern movements in the countries of South Africa and Middle East, at the beginning of the 21st century has been many researchers’ central focus. In this article, the media role from the outset of these revolutionary movements to the end of them is studied. The hypothesis of the study is that although the underlying cause of these changes is the public dissatisfaction, media have played an important role in provoking the protests and organizing people. It can be said that the media have played a key role in exaggeration, provocation and organization of protests. The media were so influential that they could invent models for pursuing their aims in the revolutionary societies.

Religion has been one of major culture-making pillars of societies throughout history. Among these, Mahdaviat culture as one of the most important Shiite principles can be elaborated in the socio-cultural arena of Islamic-Shiite societies, this is in fact a progressive Shiite belief and a comprehensive religious doctrine that has a high potential for guiding contemporary humanity. Today, the newly-emerged western schools such as liberal-democracy, globalization, global village, post-modernism, and the end of history are trying to organize the world's political, economic and cultural affairs in accordance with their own colonial objectives and exploit both material and spiritual possessions of the world in that direction. Mahdaviat culture has the potential to neutralize these and instead lead mankind towards perfection and bliss under the banner of monotheism and equality, thus actualizing the inviolable divine promises. The article has therefore attempted to elaborate both the theoretical and practical aspects of Mahdaviat culture by relying on its pertinent beliefs, values, norms and symbols in accordance with the recognized scientific principles of culture.

After more than half a century of modern communication studies, this science is still facing identity challenges, the ones reproduced in a variety of forms due to the fluidity of the discipline in different historical phases. In the absence of necessary frameworks, a systematic study of these challenges for the purpose of providing the theoretical frameworks together with their answers is of a vital importance. This article first expounds on the necessity of dealing with these identity challenges and the subsequent difficulties of such types of analysis. It then discusses the extreme expansion of communication issue and its consequences as a pivotal identity challenge in the field, finally, the communication historiography, as one of the major parts of an academic discipline's identity is focused upon and its major trends are explained.