شمایل شناسی

This investigation applies Spivak's "Subaltern Theory" to undertake a comparative examination of Mastaneh, the History of the Forgotten and Nine Parts of Desire. Spivak maintains that comparative studies in world literature are currently predominantly conducted in accordance with the logic of globalization during the capitalist era. She is of the opinion that the field of literature is currently only used as a means to ensure the survival of Western powers. When they wish to investigate other cultures, they refer to them as "Third World" and regard them as an undeveloped "other." These criticisms are exacerbated when the Western world interacts with subordinate subjects, particularly the female gender. Due to the fact that they only provide an appearance of the situation of women in relation to their objectives. For the sake of its own objectives, it only presents a semblance of subalterns, particularly those of the female gender, and achieves an idealistic and essentialist policy. However, the subaltern subject is aware that a gender that is both expanding and developing is the most advantageous scenario for her when she speaks and behaves as a woman. It is regrettable that the subjugated and marginalized individuals should disclose another history of the oppressed, which has been neglected, in the shadow of this game. Through an examination of a selection of Spivak's theoretical works, including "Can the Subaltern Speak?"(1985), Death of a Discipline (2003), and "Rethinking Comparativism"(2009), this research will demonstrate that the Subaltern can articulate her pure experiences and self-expression through literature without the assistance of global powers, correction, or assistance.

Saqanefars are structures from the Qajar period that are derived from the indigenous andritual architecture of Mazandaran. In contrast to comparable structures, Saqanfar Kijatekiyehin Babol is characterized by a plethora of pictorial themes that are specifically focused onwomen. This research aims to explore the themes and significance of women's roles in thesemurals. The research questions are as follows: -What is the reason for the increasedprevalence of women's motifs in Saqanfar Kijatekiyeh Babol in comparison to otherSaqanefars? -What are the reasons for the prominence of women in these murals? - Whichthemes are illustrated in the murals of Saqanfar Kijatekiyeh, Babol? The research employs adescriptive-analytical method, which involves the non-random selection of specific imagesfrom epic, otherworldly, symbolic, and quotidian activity motifs and their description usingan iconological approach. Significant developments and changes in women's status werereflected in the Qajar era, which saw a zenith in the redefining of women's roles in society,family, and art. The northern regions of Iran underwent a change in gender concepts as aresult of their geographical and livelihood conditions. The development of women's roles issignificantly influenced by historical, social, political, and cultural factors. The Tekiyehbuilding's simultaneity with the Qajar period, the fundamental changes in social relations,clothing styles, political positions, and aesthetic concepts of women, as well as theabundance of women's images, suggest a direct connection between these motifs and thepolitical and social developments of the era. This is indicative of the impact of indigenousartists on the representation of political and social conditions within a particular historicalcontext.

The Bisotun relief is one of the most remarkable carvings of the Achaemenid period; Its uniqueness is that it can be distinguished from other reliefs of the Achaemenid period in terms of location and specific subject. The Bisotun relief narrates the suppression of rebels and insurgents who, during the time of Darius, claimed that Bardia owned the throne. With the help of some Persian aristocrats, Darius started suppressing them in different parts of the Achaemenid empire. In this relief, the description of these victories is engraved differently. This research aims to read the manifestations of repression on the Bisotun relief, based on Panofsky's iconography theory, and analyze the Darius era's social and political background using this approach's analytical methods and the text of Bisotun relief. The method of this descriptive-analytical research is based on Panofsky's theory. The information-collecting method is library and field, and the analysis is qualitative. The research findings and results indicate that the existing discourse in this relief shows a type of violence. It also implies Darius's manifest approach in planning and implementing the Bisotun relief. By elaborating on this relief's formation factors and analyzing and interpreting human motifs according to the social and political subtext of that period, it is possible to assume a propaganda function.

The hunting icon is one of the first function's that mankind has always tried to depict throughout its history. In ancient Iran, hunting has a religious role and has an important place. In the meantime, Mithraism is one of the religions that has perpetuated the notion of hunting through images. One of these images is the scene of Mithra hunting in the altar of Dura-Europos. We see the repetition of this image in Taq-I Bustan and in the hunting scene of the king. To study the continuity of the hunting scene image (the hunter Mithra to the hunter king), we have used the iconography approach of Erwin Panofsky.Continuity and repetition is somehow implied in the image-icon and is the internal logic of iconology, Iconology is one of the most important approaches that has been used in the study of image. That’s why we use this approach in the present study. The main question of the present article is why the bas-relief of the hunter-king in the Taq-I Bustan is the continuation or conceptual continuation of the same idea of the hunter Mithra on the wall painting of Dura-Europos? The research method of this article is descriptive-analytical and the materials have been collected through documents and libraries. According to the two images studied, it can be said that the idea of practical hunting is to show the struggle between Mithra-Shah and the forces of evil, in order to show the victory of good over evil, and in this way practices such as teaching the principles of aristocracy, passing stages of youth-practice,  sacrifice, killing the boar and its associated symbol, etca are continuaously accompaniments of hunting action. The iconology of the idea of hunting shows that the concept of hunting has gone beyond hobby and its mere meaning and has taken on historical, cultural and religious-political values. Moreover it has continued over time and has been repeated and preserved in images like in Taq-I Bustan.

Sarayan is one of the cities of South Khorasan which due to being located on the communication route of the Great Khorasan Road and due to its development in various historical periods, it has included many religious and non-religious architectural works.In the present research, the inscriptions of the Safavid monuments were studied from an iconological perspective. For this purpose, firstly, introducing and categorizing the Safavid inscriptions in Sarayan city, and then analyzing the contents of each of these inscriptions will be done. The main purpose of this research is to analyze and explore the unknown aspects of beliefs and worldviews that have shaped these inscriptions. Therefore, the main question of this research is as follows: What are the reasons for the creation of the inscriptions and social and intellectual contexts of the creators in their formation as artifacts left over from the Safavid era? In order to answer this question, six stone inscriptions identified from the Safavid period constitute the statistical population of the present study. Data were collected by field and library method. The process of analysis and interpretation of the works has been done by the iconology approach of Erwin Panofsky. The results show that the inscriptions, along with the historical aspects, also had a propaganda function and sometimes acted as religious propagandists, while encouraging observers to have hidden references to Shiite thought and beliefs. In other words, one of the most important underlying contexts of these inscriptions has been the conscious effort to present and promote Shiite beliefs to confront the aggressive Eastern neighbors.

The book “Myths of Ancient Bactria and Margiana on its Seals and Amulets" is basically a catalog of seals and amulets of BMAC culture, which was obtained during illegal excavations and was auctioned in the antique market of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. All of these works have been documented by the author of the book, Sarianidi, one of the leading Russian archaeologists, and presented in English, along with a long article. The above work is one of the first publications of BMAC and since it was published in 1989, its study approach has been related to that time and also limited to the results and study hypotheses of the time of its compilation. Many of his hypotheses, especially about the origins of the people of this culture, and many others, need to be fundamentally reconsidered in light of recent research and findings. Since the above book is related to myths, in the present study, an attempt is made to critique and study it with an iconic approach and to explain and complete its study principles. The results indicate many strengths in terms of logical order of content, innovation and use of up-to-date sources compared to the time of compilation, as well as weaknesses in the archaeological foundations of Iran and in addition, strong weaknesses in specialized translation and editing.

This article, which is the result of a research in the field of iconology, tries to look at the presence of Capra motif in the petroglyphs of Jorbat, North Khorasan. The Jarbat petroglyphs have a special position due to quantity and quality of motifs and continuity (at least from the Bronze Age to the contemporary era). A considerable amount of motifs in the Jorbat petroglyphs are animal drawings and many of them (more than four hundred) are different images of Capra with prominent, curved horns. Two different biological species can be distinguished in these drawings: Capra aegagrus or Bezoar ibex with tall and curved horns, and Capra aegagrus hircus or Domestic goat with short and straight horns. From the cultural point of view, the place of Capra in Iranian thought can be traced back to ancient texts, where he is a prowess symbol and a body for the valorous god Bahram in battle with demons. But the main reason for repeating this motif is the economic significance of Capras in the life of the residents of this region. Capra was domesticated by the inhabitants of the Iranian plateau around ten thousand years ago. Since then, this animal has been continuously featured in the Iranian art, as chief of flock, and the symbol for abundance of herd and crops. Shepherds of Jorbat probably portrayed Capras on the cliffs over thousands of years, as a blessing rout sign and in the hope of fertilizing their flock. 

Visual representations are always political, whether they are deliberately manipulated images or they have common discourses and codes that shape the meaning of our social institutions (Spencer, 2017:33). In spite of the apparent objectivity of the images, they act in many ways from a cultural perspective, based on a colonialist dominance that is active throughout much of the world and these images may be seen in a way that legitimize ideas based on superiority(spencer,2017:65). As Michael (quoted by Spencer, 2017: 66) points out, to reach to a better understanding of this situation we need to conduct critical studies of images, in other words, the global critique of visual culture today is inevitable in understanding the present situation. Statement of the problem: According to studies, African news streams have always been one of the areas of interest in the news. The image presented of Africa was largely in line with what post-colonial studies shows. Post-colonial studies seek to understand the present state of the so-called Third World Countries by critically explaining their historical social conditions, of course, these studies are not merely theoretical, and seek to find a solution to change the situation. The purpose of post-colonial criticism is to unravel the truth and uproot the claims of Eurocentric discourses. As Homi k. Bhabha believes, the responsibility that post-colonial critique assumes is "to intervene in the Western discourse of modernity and to break it down."(Perry, 2010: 177). Press TV, as a television channel and its other social networks, started their work with the idea of "news from a different perspective" to challenge these prospects. The question is that in the globalized space, news images reproduced on the basis of numerous post-colonial studies of Orientalist views of Africa, how does the media in a Third World country, with a third perspective on news and image production look at Africa. So the main question of this study is” how is the representation of the continent of Africa in Press TV news photos? Is Africa's representation in the form of orientalist discourse?” Theoretical framework The theoretical framework of this research is postcolonial studies which are rooted in Edward W. Said's thoughts and his book, Orientalism. According to R.Boyne & A.Rattansi (2001) Orientalism is one of the most important works based on Foucault's views which stands against the challenge of solidification and sterilization of east and easterners in the form of “the other” lacking time, history and culture; That is, against a paradigm in which all its homogenous features are merely to highlight the differences and superiorities of the West in cultural, political, moral and economic matters. Post-colonial studies can be analyzed through working with subjects such as cultural diversity, ethnic, racial, cultural differences, and power relations (Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin, 2019: 21). Postcolonial studies have many applications in areas such as: criticizing the generalizing forms of western historicism, a new conception of class, as a name for the state of indigenous passion in post-independence national groupings, as a cultural index for the non-settlement of less developed countries’ scholars who work in western universities, as an area for the study of commonwealth countries literature and as a form of comparative review (Sloman, 2019: 128-127). Postcolonial studies not only theorize about colonial conditions, but also explain why these conditions are so and how they can be eliminated or changed. In post-colonialism there is also a tendency toward the "actuality". That is how to deal with real socio-political issues. It is not enough for the sources of this thought to be independent and indigenous; rather, it must be dynamic and alive and useful for the "present", reliable to resolve real issues and can provide the least conditions for human life in the Contemporary world (Moi’ni, 2007:42). Criticism of the West is not enough; post-colonialism needs to deeply criticize the historical past, through which it can reaches to its own critique. Thus, if we take self-criticism as one of the axes of colonial studies, the representation of the East (the discourse east rather than the geographical East) by the East itself, defined as another West, is as important as Western representations of the East. Since Orientalist discourses have acted in such a way that the East itself represents Easterners in the context of Orientalist criticism of post-colonial studies. On this basis, it can be said that the methods of selecting news about the Third World countries, even in the less developed countries (so-called Third World countries) are also based on the factors that the West has identified. Research

The qualitative method was used for this analysis. The method of analysis in this article has been Burger's ideological analysis with the "first text" approach to the picture, and therefore ideological analysis material has been provided through iconographic description. "What I call the text's first approach to visual culture can help us use the text to understand the conditions of society, not vice versa," says Howells (2003). In this research, the news photos of the African section of the Press TV website are taken into account. In the sampling process it should be noted that although targeted sampling is the general and predominant form of qualitative research, the sampling is very diverse. This diversity is due to the fact that each sample in the qualitative sampling is methodologically proportional to a specific qualitative method and to a particular subject (Mohammadpour, 2014: 235). In this study, in the first step, all photographs of this section have been extracted from the first (04/12/2019) until the 21th of June 2017, which included 152 photos. In the second step, all the photos were analyzed using the method described above.

Analyzing photos in the African News section on Press TV Website shows that most of these photos (93 photos out of 152 photos) fall into a primary categorization of five key subjects: terrorism, poverty, war and violence, white myth and the inability to create democracy. These factors can be divided into two major theoretical categories that also have colonial functions. Features such as poverty, war and violence, inability to create democracy and terrorism make Africa as a colonial subject, a subject "inherently" weak and in need of care. Then comes the other half that defines itself using this dark eastern Other: a white myth and a savior.

If we consider the responsibility of postcolonial criticism to "interfere with and disrupt Western discourses of modernity" in this study, it has become clear that the production of continent of Africa’s images is subject to colonial, national, political geography and historical forces rather than to the media's determination to present news from a new perspective. As such, it should be noted that there is no 'innocent eye' (Gombrich, as quoted in Dumek et al., 2003). And what can make the media claim (to avoid contemporary epistemological and ontological stereotypes) true is the constant precision of media production, because subjective stereotypes, if not reproduced in verbal texts, can be revealed through images in other ways.

In modern times, sign has been the center of human’s attention and is among the topics that have undergone thorough rethinking. Qajar painting has witnessed the development of semiotic readings in recent decades. Abundantly seen in Qajar painting, bird is one of the main signs in Qajar period. Adopting iconographic interpretation, Erwin Panofsky (1892-1968) relates studies on the history of art with other studies of humanities. In comparative studies, we do not always examine formal qualities of an artwork, but find relations between the work and literature, philosophy, social system, and other cultural systems of its era, whether the artist had such an intention or not. To do so, the research analyzes the key concepts of Panofsky’s theory. Based on this analysis, the main question of the research is as follows: According to Panofsky, what is the signification of bird in the portraits of men and women of the court in the Qajar era? The content of this research is qualitative and based on descriptive-analytic methodology and the method of library data collection. The findings indicate that the norms of aesthetics of Iran in the preceding periods influenced the display and presence of bird in Qajar art. In these works, bird acts as an active and dynamic symbol that is in balance with the painting and manifested in the evolution of the final process of the portrait.

“Iconology” is one of the methods of artistic studies from the standpoint of phenomenology in which it has stolen many attentions in the 20th century.By focusing on ideas of Panofski,this article tries to study the saint Mary's icon with the concept and content of Quranic verses comparatively.The main goal of this paper is to study and scan Mary’s image in the renaissance time and its decoding from the picture language of holy Quran in relation to saint Mary’s life iconologically.The present article tries to respond to adjust and match saint Mary’s images’ iconological features with the symbolic portaiture of her Quranic features providing the possibility of content and subject review of saint Mary’s life story.The main point of this study is to convert the text into a picture and image,in which both Bible and holy Quran talked about her holiness and characters.In renaissance art this text is turned into an image,but in islam the text has remained intact.This article tries to match texts and images.The necessity of implementing new studies in studies of Mary’s pictures is highly needed as a way to recognize.The sample population includes 20 samples of renaissance paintings and is in random way.And 8 samples of icons has been studied for visual analysis.The research findings demonstrate reflection of 3 kinds of saint virgin icons in 3 eras of renaissance in row.In the first renaissance era the icon of saint Mary had more match and correspondence with the holy Quran’s sacred in terms of form and content,in middle and advanced era of renaissance icons lost their holyness and its holy and abstractional synmbols have turned into some earthly and anthropocentric symbols.