A Critical Analysis of Qajar Popular Culture, and Theo-political Discourse as Reflected in the Narrative Tile Paintings of Mo’aven-ol-Molk Tekyeh

Introduction: Religion has had a significant impact on the Qajar cultural sphere, influencing social structure, cultural discourse, and ideological policies. The primary outcome of this theoretical-political framework is to validate the culture of everyday life, to establish the notion of bio-social, cultural representation, and daily activities, and to structure cognitive processes and cultural conduct. This research examines the theological nature of the tile paintings of Mo’aven-ol-Molk Tekyeh and their emphasis on the teachings of Shiism, particularly the principle of Velayat al-Faqih. The focus is on Shiite narrative tile paintings as a form of discourse, specifically within the context of theo-politics. Cultural policy is a combination of actions, values, norms and principles that are adopted in a thoughtful way to guide and monitor cultural actions in a specific society by the agents of the society. Scholars, as religious agents, promoted a kind of religious cultural policy in the popular culture in order to set an example. The goal of the cultural policy of scholars for the Qajar bio-culture was to set a cultural pattern. One of the dimensions of these cultural policies is the religious policies of the popular culture which represents a religiously oriented form of popular culture policy. The critical analysis of religious politics for the Qajar folk culture and its effect on the tile painting of Mo’aven-ol-Molk Tekyeh is the most important issue of this research. This analysis deals with a discourse situation. This is termed a discourse because both the religious politics of popular culture and the tile representations of popular culture, in terms of their nature and social mechanisms, acquire social orientation and form. To fully understand the relationship between religious discourse and popular culture in Iran during the Qajar era, it is important to examine the impact of planned interventions on the organized guidance of this religious discourse.
Purposes & Questions: The aim of this research is an examination of the relationship between theo-politics and popular culture in the tile paintings of Mo’aven-ol-Molk Tekyeh, with an emphasis on comprehending the language of theo-politics and the role of popular culture in these artworks. The research questions are: 1. How does the theo-political character reflect the Qajar popular culture in the tile paintings of Mo’aven-ol-Molk Tekyeh? 2. What are the primary discursive politics in the narrative tile paintings of Mo’aven-ol-Molk Tekyeh within the theo-political framework of Qajar popular culture?
Methods: The descriptive-analytical method relies on the rigorous examination and interpretation of data through critical content analysis. The instruments used for data collection include note-taking, observation, and a new search tools. The study sample comprises 25 tile paintings with religious motifs that are associated with Mo’aven-ol-Molk Tekyeh. These paintings were deliberately selected to effectively address the research questions. The data analysis technique relies on critical discourse analysis and is grounded in Fairclough's three-dimensional perspectives.
Findings & Results: This study necessitated the development of sociolinguistic interpretive tools grounded in Fairclough's theory. Additionally, it benefited from Fairclough's theoretical framework and practical instructions, which enabled the identification of the inherent inconsistencies within the text. The study’s findings indicate that the popular culture embodies religious policies that may be seen from two different angles. Initially, he replicated the cultural practice of reproducing religious actions on the tiles, along with the strategy responsible for overseeing this practice. This historical phenomenon remains evident in the opinions of scholars depicted in the tile paintings of Mo’aven-ol-Molk Tekyeh. The theo-policies of the Constitutional period have been replicated as a means of expressing identity and cultural opposition. This process manifests as a form of visual cultural discourse. The cultural discourses represented in the Mo’aven-ol-Molk Tekyeh serve as a prominent form of popular media. The religious tile paintings of Mo’aven-ol-Molk Tekyeh possess a distinctly social dimension, operating as vehicles of visual cultural discourse. This encompasses totalism, with a focus on the authority of intellectuals as religious agents, jurisprudential fundamentalism, and theological orientation. This cultural discourse is rooted in the prevalent social and legal policies that focus on the dissemination of religious teachings and speeches among the Iranian populace. It is also characterized by a strong emphasis on constructing religious identity – particularly within the Shiʿi cultural framework – through practices such as mourning and commemoration of the Imams, and by acknowledging the influential role of religious scholars in shaping popular culture. Additionally, this discourse is associated with cultural resistance. Opponents of Western discourse identified a social niche in which Western-influenced traits were being reproduced and integrated into the structured framework of society. This trend is marked by an increasing emphasis on religious themes within popular culture, alongside the depiction of prominent activists who highlighted the intellectuals of the Constitutional period in politically charged tile paintings.