نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 عضو هیأت علمی گروه هنرهای نمایشی، دانشکدگان هنرهای زیبا، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران.
2 استادیار گروه هنرهای نمایشی، دانشکدگان هنرهای زیبا، دانشگاه تهران، تهران،ایران.
چکیده
کلیدواژه‌ها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Toopkhaneh Square is one of the iconic and politically charged public spaces in Tehran, Iran, which was deliberately shaped during the Qajar era as part of the broader physical and political transformation of the city. Initially designed as a political-military space, the square prominently featured cannons that served as powerful symbols of state authority and military prowess. However, the square’s function soon expanded beyond this static role. Through continuous interaction between its physical configuration and the lived experiences of the city’s inhabitants, Toopkhaneh Square gradually evolved into a dynamic performative arena. It became a space where visibility, spectacle, and the dynamics of seeing and being seen shaped its social and political significance. Over time, the square transformed into a stage where citizens enacted aspects of daily life through various acts of visibility, positioning themselves simultaneously as performers and spectators. In doing so, Toopkhaneh Square emerged as a central venue for the acts of visibility of governmental power while also fostering diverse forms of civic participation and expression.
Hannah Arendt’s political thought offers a compelling framework for understanding this transformation. According to Arendt, the public sphere is fundamentally a space of appearance where political life unfolds through action and speech. In her view, politics is inherently performative; individuals reveal themselves to one another through public engagement, constructing identity and meaning in a shared realm of visibility. The public sphere thus operates as a theatrical stage, where acts of visibility —whether through state-sponsored or citizen-led performances—constitute a core dynamic of political interaction. Arendt’s insights help illuminate how spaces like Toopkhaneh Square enable, structure, and mediate political action through both their spatial configurations and symbolic functions.
Throughout the Qajar period, Toopkhaneh Square hosted a range of state-orchestrated events aimed at reinforcing and legitimizing governmental power. Military parades, public executions, official ceremonies, and staged celebrations served as choreographed spectacles designed to project an image of state authority and instill public awe. These official acts of visibility rituals inscribed political power into the visual and spatial fabric of the city, embedding it within the everyday lives of citizens and shaping their perceptions of state authority.
Simultaneously, Toopkhaneh Square also functioned as a vibrant platform for spontaneous and informal expressions of public life. Citizens actively appropriated the space for self-display, communal gatherings, public debates, protests, and acts of symbolic resistance. These grassroots forms of acts of visibility often contested the dominant narratives imposed by the state, illustrating the capacity of public space to serve as a site of both conformity and dissent. Through their embodied presence and performative engagements with state symbols and each other, citizens continuously redefined the meaning, use, and political significance of the square.
This study employs a descriptive-analytical approach to examine how the performative dynamics of acts of visibility reshaped Toopkhaneh Square over time. The square evolved from a militarized display ground into a complex public stage where politics and performance were inextricably intertwined. Viewed through Arendt’s theoretical lens, this evolution offers valuable insights into the interplay of space, power, acts of visibility, and public life in historical Tehran, revealing broader patterns in the sociopolitical functions of urban public spaces.
کلیدواژه‌ها [English]
آقاجمالی، بهزاد . سپهران، کامران (۱۴۰۰). سیاست هویت: بررسی غیاب شهر تهران در درام پهلوی اول. نشریه فصلنامه تئاتر، شماره ۸۵، ۴۳-۴۴. https://www.noormags.ir/view/fa/articlepage/1821529
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