The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

Analysis of the Articulation of Old Mosque Architecture within the Discursive Space of Islamic Art Based on the Discourse Analysis Theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe

https://doi.org/10.22034/bagh.2025.484291.5689
Volume 22, Issue 145
July 2025
Pages 79-86
The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar

Document Type : Original Research Article

Author

Sadeq Rashidi

Assistant Professor, Department of Art Education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract
Problem satement: This study addresses the articulation of old mosque architecture within the discursive space of Islamic art. In the discursive space of Islamic art, architecture functions as a central semiotic system that plays social, cultural, and political semiotic roles from various dimensions. However, when Islamic, traditional, or Iranian architecture is discussed, this semiotic system takes on discursive characteristics. Thus, Islamic architecture, particularly in the form of religious buildings with both social and religious functions, is rearticulated through signs and within the process of inter-discursive competition.
Research objective: This study aims to explain the mechanisms of articulation in Islamic architecture within the discursive space of Islamic art, shedding light on the discursive roles and functions of old mosque architecture.
Research method: This study is a qualitative study conducted using discourse analysis, seeking to answer the question: Is there a relationship between the structure and articulation of old mosque architecture and the discourse of power and religion?
Conclusion: The main findings indicate that within the discursive space of Islamic art, architecture has undergone numerous transformations in the context of socio-cultural structural changes driven by the discourse of power. The evolving social functions of mosques today, compared to the architectural structures of mosques in earlier periods, reflect this transformation.

Keywords

Discourse
Articulation
Islamic Art
Architecture
Mosque
Maqsurah
Minbar
Power
Politics
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