تحلیل سیاست‌های فرهنگی دوره فتحعلی شاه قاجار با تأکید بر تصویر شکار و شکارگاه (با استفاده از نظریه عمل بوردیو)

The hunt and the hunting-ground is one of the first images and one of the most common scenes to be found in works of art from ancient times to the present day. Hunting was a way of demonstrating physical and mental strength and skill, and became a practice before entering the battlefield. Rulers also embodied their victories on the battlefield and the hunting scene in all kinds of art, in addition to texts, in order to frighten the rebels and rivals, to show their fighting power and to make a name for themselves in the history of conquerors. the image of the hunt for rulers throughout history has not only been a work of art, but has also taken on symbolic and political aspects. Fatḥ-ʿAlī Shah had a special view of art in terms of aesthetics, diplomacy and politics; therefore, the number of paintings of royal hunts can be considered as the main platform for displaying the power of his era. Hunting, along with art and literature, was one of the most important functions of the Fatḥ-ʿAlī Shah in terms of war,sport and politics. Since the footprint of art has a decisive presence in all strata of society, it is important to pay close attention to art in the field of culture in the political, social and economic life of the country as a link between the ruling power, the audience and wealth. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the artistic and cultural developments of each era in this regard. In the written sources of the Qājār era and the artistic works of this period, we can explore the attitude and attention of Fatḥ-ʿAlī Shah in supporting art, literature and history, and the way of political exploitation in surviving and dominating his own power through the image of hunting. can be seen and explained in various artistic media (paintings, lacquer paintings, bas-reliefs). From this perspective, the purpose of this article is to explain the image of hunting by examining the written sources and works of art related to royal hunting during the reign of Fatḥ-ʿAlī Shah, as well as the king’s role in supporting art and artists and the political exploitation of the image of hunting. This research seeks to answer the question of what role the image of the royal hunt played in advancing the cultural policies of Fatḥ-ʿAlī Shah Qājār? The article benefits from Pierre Bourdieu’s “theory of practice” with an analytical-comparative methodology and the “cultural policy” approach. The relationship between character and field is at the heart of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory, known as the theory of action. According to Bourdieu, character is a system of inclinations that form the principles, beliefs, evaluations,judgments, actions and behavior of a person and the field is a social, political, economic, cultural space or environment in which people act according to its conditions. Gathering information through documentary and library methods, this research tries to present the model of “Art: The Artery of Culture” to better understand the concept of the hunting image in the era of Fatḥ-ʿAlī Shah. A qualitative method was also used to analyze Fatḥ-ʿAlī Shah’s point of view. Since Fatḥ-ʿAlī Shah himself was a man of literature and art, by supporting art and poetry with national tendencies, he was able to link himself to the ancient gods of Iran and the Shiite imams through a historical reading, and to present himself as the rightful heir to the throne and the ruler of the Islamic nation, and by creating a visual message and symbolizing the role of hunting ground, to present himself as the savior of the Guarded Domains of Iran. By preparing the minds of his subjects for nationalism, he caused the decrease of internal rebellions and the concentration of Iranian military forces on the borders of the country, and by the presence of foreign forces on the borders of the country, he expanded the national identity and exploited the people’s faith through jihād (holy war). In order to preserve the Islamic lands, Fatḥ-ʿAlī Shah was able to prevent the colonization of Iran. Therefore, the state of the court, social legitimacy, and visual memory were interrelated in the promotion of Fatḥ-ʿAlī Shah’s goals, and in their central point, they were coordinated with the factor of the artistic current, the role of the hunt, and by an external factor under the title of cultural-artistic policy in terms of far-reaching and important effects on the intellectual flow, culture, and destiny of the people and country of Iran. This intellectual current, formed by the Shah through the creation of cultural policies, did not allow the central government of Iran to disintegrate despite all the crises and invasions of foreign forces. As a result, during the period of crisis in Iran, the quest for image was seen as identity-building and nationalistic.