Aesthetics of Power: Understanding the Meanings of Political Visual Demonstartions in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Daneshpour, Zeinab (2023)
Daneshpour, Zeinab
2023
Master's Programme in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research
Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2023-05-08
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202305045219
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202305045219
Tiivistelmä
This thesis examines the meanings embedded in political visual displays that pervade public spaces in the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly focusing on the city of Saveh in Markazi province. Although visual culture is often overlooked, this study argues that it plays a crucial role in shaping societal beliefs and values. In the context of Iran, where the Islamic regime controls visual culture, this thesis aims to unravel the connection between political messages conveyed through visual materials and the wider ideological framework of the Islamic regime.
To accomplish this, a wide range of visual materials, such as monuments, flags, banners, murals, and naming panels found in the streets and public spaces of Saveh, were gathered and analyzed. Semiotics was utilized as the analytical method to identify significant textual and visual signs within each image, and to interpret their conventional meaning. The findings indicate that these visual materials primarily strive to foster religious devotion towards the Twelve Shia Imams and uphold the legacy of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. By associating key concepts with the ideological foundations of the Islamic regime, the visual materials serve as a powerful tool to reinforce the regime’s ideology and legitimize its authority.
Furthermore, this thesis explored the politics of memory as a mechanism that promotes preferred meanings of visuals and perceptions among the audience. Nonetheless, it acknowledges that the actual impact of political visual demonstrations can only be validated through further research on audience reception and viewer perception. I also examined the role of streets as a political locus, integrating political visual messages into people’s everyday lives. In last part of the analysis chapter, I explored the concept of peace, revealing how both positive and negative aspects of peace are visualized within the context of Iran. However, a contextual understanding of contemporary Iran suggests that the invisibility of violence and the portrayal of a peaceful society through visuals do not guarantee the absence of violence within society.
By examining the semiotics of Iran's visual culture, this study not only illuminates the dynamics of the aesthetics of power as an influential tool to enact state power and ideologies within society but also offers insights into the complex interplay between visual materials and political messaging.
To accomplish this, a wide range of visual materials, such as monuments, flags, banners, murals, and naming panels found in the streets and public spaces of Saveh, were gathered and analyzed. Semiotics was utilized as the analytical method to identify significant textual and visual signs within each image, and to interpret their conventional meaning. The findings indicate that these visual materials primarily strive to foster religious devotion towards the Twelve Shia Imams and uphold the legacy of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. By associating key concepts with the ideological foundations of the Islamic regime, the visual materials serve as a powerful tool to reinforce the regime’s ideology and legitimize its authority.
Furthermore, this thesis explored the politics of memory as a mechanism that promotes preferred meanings of visuals and perceptions among the audience. Nonetheless, it acknowledges that the actual impact of political visual demonstrations can only be validated through further research on audience reception and viewer perception. I also examined the role of streets as a political locus, integrating political visual messages into people’s everyday lives. In last part of the analysis chapter, I explored the concept of peace, revealing how both positive and negative aspects of peace are visualized within the context of Iran. However, a contextual understanding of contemporary Iran suggests that the invisibility of violence and the portrayal of a peaceful society through visuals do not guarantee the absence of violence within society.
By examining the semiotics of Iran's visual culture, this study not only illuminates the dynamics of the aesthetics of power as an influential tool to enact state power and ideologies within society but also offers insights into the complex interplay between visual materials and political messaging.