Abstract

This research aims to analyze the mechanisms underlying the reproduction of the “religion-state” relationship in Qajar-era Tehran, focusing on a case study of three neighborhoods: Oudlajan, Dowlat, and Arg. Due to the coexistence and overlapping of political power centers and religious institutions, these neighborhoods provide an ideal framework for analyzing interactions between the two fields of “religion” and “politics.” The central research question explores how “Waqf” (endowment), as a religious-spatial variable, organized power relations at the neighborhood level and how the spatial configuration of endowments relates to the consolidation of actors’ positions within these fields. Utilizing Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical framework of “field, capital, and symbolic action,” Waqf is analyzed as a mechanism for resource distribution, legitimization, and the re-adjustment of actors’ positions. The research methodology is based on a synthesis of spatial analysis (relying on historical maps) and discourse analysis of endowment deeds (Waqf-names). Findings indicate that in Qajar Tehran, Waqf was more than a religious act; it served as a strategic instrument for managing power balances and negotiation between religious elites and state officials within the urban space.