Symbolic Capital and the Reproduction of Power Fields: An Analysis of the Interaction between Religion and Politics in the Urban Space of Qajar Tehran

Ataei Ashtiani, Zohreh; Musavi,, Fahimeh

doi:10.30465/scs.2026.54658.3162

Symbolic Capital and the Reproduction of Power Fields: An Analysis of the Interaction between Religion and Politics in the Urban Space of Qajar Tehran

Document Type : .

Authors

Zohreh Ataei Ashtiani ¹

Fahimeh Musavi, ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Asian Cultural Documentation Center, Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran.

² Master of Arts in Sociology, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Master of Arts in History, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran.

10.30465/scs.2026.54658.3162

Abstract

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.

Keywords

Waqf

Qajar Tehran

Power Field

Urban Sociology

Spatial Analysis

Subjects