Social Solidarity and Structural Integrity in Crisis Conditions: A Structural-Functionalist Analysis of the Experiences of the Twelve-Day War and the Ramadan War in Iran

Abstract :

This article examines social solidarity and structural integrity under crisis conditions through the experiences of the "Twelve-Day War" and the "Ramadan War" in Iran. Using a theoretical-interpretive framework and critical sociological analysis, it explains the prerequisites for sustainable social solidarity and structural integrity.The central question is how collective actions and reactions during these conflicts can be interpreted in light of the criteria of social solidarity and structural integrity.The theoretical framework is based on Talcott Parsons' theory of the social system, complemented by theories of the sociology of war, social solidarity, and social capital. War is conceptualized as a social test revealing the quality of structural equilibrium, fulfillment of the functional imperatives of the social system, and society's capacity to generate and regenerate sustainable social solidarity and structural integrity.Evidence was drawn from library resources, analytical reports, official and unofficial narratives, media representations, and documentation on the two crises.The findings indicate that the observed patterns, rather than reflecting sustained and institutionalized social solidarity, predominantly manifested as emergency consensus and crisis-driven solidarity.The erosion of social capital, declining institutional trust, the discrepancy between official objectives and citizens' lived experiences, and the lack of synergy  among societal subsystems emerged as the principal obstacles to durable solidarity. The results suggest that war crises, rather than generating social solidarity, reveal the quality of pre-existing structural integrity and accumulated social capital. Social solidarity therefore depends on strengthening public trust, reducing the state-society gap, developing intermediary institutions, and enhancing functional coordination among societal subsystems

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