A Comparative Study of the Public Sphere Openings in the West and Iran: the Coffee House and Its Historical Significance

The public sphere is place for discussion and criticism of powers that Habermas، for first times has introduced theoretically and connected its history the to European saloons and coffee houses. This notion that the formation of the public sphere is special to the West does not look quite right because there was the same experience in the Safavid period. However the main point is that the continuation of the trend in the West and Iran is varied historically، politically and socially. This historical and descriptive-analytical study would attempt to prove that the West''s public sphere or criticism of power started in the royal court and then spread to the community، but in contrast to the West، criticism of power and dialogue on general issues in Iran Were especially formed in coffee houses and later transferred to the royal court. Coinciding with the Safavid rule power، the religion (Shiism) could be the official state religion and spread in different ways، such as by Shi''ite ceremonies and rituals as a form of public discussion and criticism. Thus the public sphere from Safavid Iran to the Pahlavi had religious and public from which found a political and religious public from since 1960s.