Socio-Cultural Strategy

Socio-Cultural Strategy

Explaining the Concepts and Functions of Islamic Art in the Policy Documents of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohammad Amin Ghasemi Pirbalouti 1
Mohammad Reza Borzouei 2
1 PhD Candidate in Culture and Communication, and Researcher at the Public Culture, Art, and Creative Industries Group, I.R. Iran's Parliament Research Center, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding Author).
2 Associate Professor, Department of Communication and Media, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Culture and Communication, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/scs.2026.572809.1789
Abstract
"Islamic art" is a central concept in Iran''s post–Islamic Revolution cultural discourse and has been systematically institutionalized in the overarching policy documents of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Despite its prominence, however, there has not been any systematic analysis of how "Islamic art" is conceptualized and what functions are attributed to it in these documents. This article examines this official discourse by addressing the following question: How is "Islamic art" conceptualized in the Islamic Republic of Iran''s overarching policy documents, and what functions are defined for it? Using a hybrid thematic analysis approach based on inductive and theoretical frameworks, fifteen key documents—including laws, general policies, and strategic documents—were purposefully selected and analyzed. The findings show that "Islamic art" in these documents is a normative and functional "discursive construct" that acquires its identity within a bipolar semantic framework: positively, through association with "commitment" to Islamic and revolutionary value foundations; and negatively, through opposition to a hostile "Other," namely cultural invasion, vulgarity, and the West. Reflecting a state-centered model of cultural policymaking, this discourse assigns a set of instrumental functions to art, including ideological and educational dimensions aimed at promoting values, identity and cultural dimensions for the preservation of Islamic-Iranian identity, and political and security dimensions geared toward engaging in soft war and exercising soft power. Ultimately, through a process of strategic "semantic shift," the concept of "Islamic art"—by shifting its focal point from purely classical dimensions—has been redefined as a normative-functional standard aligned with the concept of "committed art."
Keywords
Islamic Art
Committed Art
Cultural Policy-making
Policy Documents
Islamic Republic of Iran
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  • Receive Date 30 January 2026
  • Revise Date 14 June 2026
  • Accept Date 20 July 2026