One of the most important yet elusive themes in Iranian contemporary architecture of Iran is identity. Understanding the current issue may be aided by thinking back on how Iranian identity has historically been interpreted regarding architecture. The years preceding the 1979 revolution were one of the key times for questioning Iranian identity in architecture. Previous studies placed the beginning of this period in the late 1960s or early 1970s, and assuming a consistent portrayal of the endeavour to develop an Iranian identity in architecture, linked it to the government and architects' intention. The purpose of this article is to explain the origins of this period's questioning of Iranian identity through architecture. To this end, based on a discourse analysis strategy via historical texts, we investigate how Iranian identity became problematic in the architecture of this period, what driving forces were behind it, and what the context of its formation was. This article reveals that the demand for "Iranian architecture" was first raised by intellectuals to confront the increasing political and economic sway of Western governments, as the "other", since the 1953 coup in Iran. According to Iranian intellectuals, the revival of historic architectural styles was necessary to achieve Iranian identity in architecture. This formulation of "Iranian architecture" was opposed by architects since it went against their values and was perceived as a challenge to their professional status. By deconstructing intellectuals' formulations of "Iranian architecture," the architects dismissed the prospect of reviving historical architecture at the moment and provided the ground to present their preferred formulation.
ش, ش. and Hashemi, M. (2025). "Iranian architecture": a dispute between intellectuals and architects on the verge of the 1960s. Soffeh, (), -. doi: 10.48308/sofeh.2023.231660.1256
MLA
ش, ش. , and Hashemi, M. . ""Iranian architecture": a dispute between intellectuals and architects on the verge of the 1960s", Soffeh, , , 2025, -. doi: 10.48308/sofeh.2023.231660.1256
HARVARD
ش, ش., Hashemi, M. (2025). '"Iranian architecture": a dispute between intellectuals and architects on the verge of the 1960s', Soffeh, (), pp. -. doi: 10.48308/sofeh.2023.231660.1256
CHICAGO
ش. ش and M. Hashemi, ""Iranian architecture": a dispute between intellectuals and architects on the verge of the 1960s," Soffeh, (2025): -, doi: 10.48308/sofeh.2023.231660.1256
VANCOUVER
ش, ش., Hashemi, M. "Iranian architecture": a dispute between intellectuals and architects on the verge of the 1960s. Soffeh, 2025; (): -. doi: 10.48308/sofeh.2023.231660.1256
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