A sociological explanation of the evolution of Iranian carpet during Safavid Dynasty

In this paper the sociological approach of Janet Wolff and John Thompson is used to identify and interpret the relationship between the evolution of Persian carpet and its social context. The social context includes socio-economic, ideologican and political conditions surronding this evolution. To study Persian carpet from the Pazric rug from its initiation to the present time, based on numorous historical and specialised data, we have to focus on a certain period of Iranian history which led to the transformation of Iranian carpet in terms of all its characteristics including production method, production quantity, designs and plan. If we look at Iranian carpet as a cultural sign, an important question comes to our mind is that “if this artistic sign, that is Persian carpet, has been changed during Safavid era, under what conditions and in what social, ideological and economical fields, this change has happened? In contrast to some aesthetical and traditional findings, using a sociological approach and based on an analysis of social and ideological orders, we suggest that Iranian carpet is a complicated mixture of historical, societal and ideological factors. Our findings show that while before the period under investigation, carpet has been considered only as a means of living. During the Safavid Dynasty, it gained a distinguished artistic status and was considered as a national skill and therefore a national pride. This change in status occurred under spesific social conditions which the authors of the present article have attempted to explain.In this paper the sociological approach of Janet Wolff and John Thompson is used to identify and interpret the relationship between the evolution of Persian carpet and its social context. The social context includes socio-economic, ideologican and political conditions surronding this evolution. To study Persian carpet from the Pazric rug from its initiation to the present time, based on numorous historical and specialised data, we have to focus on a certain period of Iranian history which led to the transformation of Iranian carpet in terms of all its characteristics including production method, production quantity, designs and plan. If we look at Iranian carpet as a cultural sign, an important question comes to our mind is that “if this artistic sign, that is Persian carpet, has been changed during Safavid era, under what conditions and in what social, ideological and economical fields, this change has happened? In contrast to some aesthetical and traditional findings, using a sociological approach and based on an analysis of social and ideological orders, we suggest that Iranian carpet is a complicated mixture of historical, societal and ideological factors. Our findings show that while before the period under investigation, carpet has been considered only as a means of living. During the Safavid Dynasty, it gained a distinguished artistic status and was considered as a national skill and therefore a national pride. This change in status occurred under spesific social conditions which the authors of the present article have attempted to explain.