Oppositional Binary of " the self" and " the other" in Two Illustrated Versions of Shahnameh, Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasb and Shahname of shah Ismaeel II: An Analysis of the Cultural Semiotic Model

The image of “the other” can be traced back in the history of every culture and the oppositional binary of the self/ the other (ego-alter) have always been regarded as part of cultural studies. Problems such as the relationship between cultures (one specific culture and “the other” one/s) or reason of governments’ denial of the other/s are among important questions of this field. In the present article، the cultural semiotics method has been chosen to investigate the way “the Other” is represented in two paintings belonging to two illustrated versions of Shahnameh، both from Safavid period. Based on the comparison of equall binary of the self and the other with that of human and demon in those picture، this article would try to analyse how the rejecting function of culture works in semiotic realm of image. Eventually، the results of this study indicates in oppositional binary of “the self” and “the other”، the other or demon is represented as something unnatural or uncultural and this process was used for rejecting other cultures and avoiding mixing with them.