Journal of Historical Research, Law and Policy 3115-7505 In Press 2027 08 01 Comparative Analysis of the Role of the Shiʿi Schools of Najaf and Jabal ʿAmil in the Expansion of Political Thought and the Culture of Resistance in West Asia Comparative Analysis of the Role of the Shiʿi Schools of Najaf and Jabal ʿAmil in the Expansion of Political Thought and the Culture of Resistance in West Asia 1 19 EN Journal Article 2026 07 24 <p>The present study aims to examine the role of the Shiʿi schools of Najaf and Jabal ʿAmil in the development of political thought and the culture of resistance in West Asia. In this regard, the intersection of two strategies—independence from political power and participation in political power—was investigated to determine how these seemingly contradictory yet complementary approaches contributed to the formation of a comprehensive model of resistance. This study employs a descriptive-analytical method and comparatively examines the two schools on the basis of six evaluative indicators: intellectual production, influence on resistance movements, cultivation of leaders, scholarly networks, political influence, and historical continuity. The findings indicate that the Najaf school, through the promotion of institutional independence and an oversight-oriented model, institutionalized the legitimacy and critical orientation of resistance within Shiʿi communities and provided answers to questions concerning legitimacy and leadership. In contrast, the Jabal ʿAmil school, by developing models of jurisprudential governance and structural administration, provided the practical mechanisms necessary for operationalizing resistance and addressed questions concerning methods and instruments of implementation. The results demonstrate that the culture of resistance in the region is the product of a dialectical interaction between Najaf’s supervisory independence and Jabal ʿAmil’s structural engagement with power, which were transformed into a balanced framework within the institutional structure of a committed political system. In this context, the emergence of the political system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a catalyst and operational center, played a pivotal role in transforming these theoretical ideas into a comprehensive regional strategy. Ultimately, the study concludes that the expansion of the culture of resistance in West Asia has resulted from the convergence of religious legitimacy and structural effectiveness within the framework of a committed political will, which has succeeded in reproducing and expanding the political identity of Shiʿism in response to colonial and authoritarian pressures.</p> https://www.jhrlp.com/index.php/jhrlp/article/download/460/457