Photography, Discourse, Culture A historical analysis of the discursive functions of photograph in Iran

Not a mechanical way of picture production, photography is a way for communication. Considering the researches have been done about the functions of photograph in Iran, we rarely face with a qualitative analysis on the history of this sort of media. Therefore, doing such a research, based on the macro structures of the society, is a necessary. The authors attempt to analyze the dominant atmosphere of photography in the present time. In order to reach this goal, we look at photography through the perspective of ‘discourse’ to answer these questions: which discourse, and why and how, has been formed in the present time? And what is the relationship between this discourse and the previous ones? In other words, we are facing with the contrast between the present discourse and its history. For this purpose, the authors take a look at the history of Iranian photography to get a better understanding of its current situation. The methodological framework of this research is based on Michel Foucault’s and Stuart Hall’s thoughts. The authors prove that the current situation of photography in Iran is dominated in a sort of cultural discourse, and this discourse is in a dialectical connection with the political and social discourses of its history. The analysis of power relations, the role of the politics and the procedure of subjectification and objectification are items which the authors concentrate on.