IRANIAN JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGY
Year:2014 | Volume:12 | Issue:20|Papers Count:7

Sheep feet, where in human anatomy is called "patella" and informally "Gaapak", contain a bone with a special shape and structure named "Gaap" which despite its different bumps and dents, it is like a rectangle cube. Playing with these bones is known as "Gaap game". There are Aashiqui songs are played by someone named "Aashiq". He is creatively present in social arena of the Azerbaijani public culture. He is a poet, composer, singer, musician, actor and narrator. Being a public artist is her great feature.In this paper, combining qualitative and quantitative research methods (archival, library and field) Ashiqui musical instrument and its effect on epic reading and playing has been studies.Different sections of this paper include Aashiq and Azerbaijan, Aashiqui songs characteristics, epic Jarchyan, "Aashiq Ghorbani" and his epic for Chalderan battles, "Aashiq Sari", "Aashiq Khaste Ghsem", "Aashiq Ali-Asgar" and his epic on World War (I), "Aashiq Meskin Asadkhayavi" and his epic on Persian Constitutional Revolution and some other contemporary Aashiq especially "Aashiq Shahid Shahriari"'s epic on Iran-Iraq war.In this paper the artistic life of Aashiqs and their epic songs have been analyzed through content analysis.

Sheep feet, where in human anatomy is called "patella" and informally "Gaapak", contain a bone with a special shape and structure named "Gaap" which despite its different bumps and dents, it is like a rectangle cube. Playing with these bones is known as "Gaap game". There are several documents about the origin of this game. This paper uses the descriptive analysis approach and first hand archaeological and anthropological documents to study and survey the evolution of Gaap game from the first settlements in villages up to now in the Middle East, focusing on Iran, and has got very valuable results. Researchers, in addition to explanation of the evolution, based on clear documents try to prove this hypothesis that the main philosophy of Gaap game, from the very beginning, to approximately 50 years ago was mere playing with some animal bones and was played mainly by children and young adults which is proven according to the results of detailed archeological and anthropological scrutiny and specially the life of authors in the main centers of this game. Finding show that the pattern, principles and rules of the game has got very slight changes, if any. because the rubbing of the sides of the Gaap, coloring and lead planning of the King Gaap (Saggah) is provable based on the archeological findings. Also, according to the anthropological findings it was ascertained that, even in big cities like Tehran, there was no bidding on this game until the modernization of the Pahlavi II period and it was among the most harmless children games which was able to fill their leisure time. In addition to that, this paper introduces the concepts and rules of Gaap game and illustrates its history by means of pictures.

Bronze age (Godin phase III) in central Zagros area is one of the most important Archeological ages in west Iran, when the Godin third phase began in the west and south western parts of Iran. A kind of cultural uniformity is discerned in this era which is evident in the popularity diffusion of its patterned pottery. The main question is how the monochrome patterned pottery had emerged and diffused throughout area in this age.In this paper through using the ethno-archeological method and a study on Zanganeh tribe, the development and diffusion of the monochrome patterned pottery in Godin III has been discussed through a comparative analysis of the Zanganeh tribe paths. The situations as well as the geographical shapes of this path ways around Kabir Kouh in Bronze Age have been considered in this study. An eclectic method has been used in this research which includes field and library studies. Besides, two important populations, the ancient population of nomads Saymareh valley and contemporary nomad population Zanganeh tribe in Bronze Age have been studied in this research.

Ta'zieh is a ritual condolence theatre or passion play in the context of Shiite Islam. Recognizing the origin of the Ta'zieh is the fundamental question of present research. The research traced the factors affected the beginning if ta'zieh. The study relies on Michel Foucault’s archeological approach and starts from the present time to the "zero time, " the time when there was not any sign of Ta'zieh (either its content or formal type). At the surface layer, the research has used "observation", "interview" and "archival study" technique. For the deeper-historical layers, only archival studies have been applied. The findings of the study affirm that the ability of human mind in producing "idea" (Meta representation) in interaction with Iranian Socio-cultural environment represents how Ta'zieh's began and developed in the history. Beliefs, symbolic capital, social relations, socialization and economic motivations, constitute the context of t'ziyeh’s continuation. As a whole, it seems that the psychological and social motivations form the substructure of ta'zieh's continuation.

This paper investigates the methods of power relations appearing in everyday jokes in a teahouse. By using ethnomethodology and conversation analysis method, we tried to show how cultural concepts within power relations constructed through strategies and language games of the social actors in a special context and use as a tool to advance their purposes and intentions. This qualitative study within three months of the study and a researcher in the field of audio recording of conversations and analysis of conversations is replication rules. A purposive sample of four main groups present in Teahouse and conversation among members of the group on it. The results show that how concepts such as culture and power flown in the depth of our social life and to what extent integrated with our everyday life. What, at the first sight, maybe a simple joke, to what extend is the constitutive of cultural concepts in dialogue text and is affected by the rules and power structure that located behind this apparent interaction and comply with that.

This article is aimed at answering the following research questions (1) Given the rapid development in recent years in Alamut, is walnut production capable of maintaining family’s social ties and kinship networks? (2) Besides the economic function of the walnut trees, does it have any social and cultural functions as well? To answer the above questions, the researcher applied participant observation, interview as data collection techniques, and the existing literature on the subject. Main theoretical framework of the study is Structural Functionalism.

Anthropology of Performance provides many possibilities to study the daily life and its rituals a representation. After the revolution in Iran, religious lifestyle became more important. This research excavates religious lifestyle in Iran, especially in the daily life, with its representative aspects within the framework of the cultural anthropology, mostly focused on the deep influences of performance and representation in religious lifestyle on individuals and society.This research seeks for the possibility of a performative reading of religious lifestyle and the aspects of performance anthropology involved through using Victor Turner’s anthropological approach and Erving Goffman’s theoretical framework.To answer the question, the daily level of believers’ life is studied within Goffman’s arguments and the ritual level within Turner’s, then the role of ritual aspects in the daily life. Also body as the most important part of performance and its role in time and place is one of the most considerable issues studied in this research.The findings show that major social and political influences are made through the Iranian religious rituals witch can be explained by Goffman’s ideas about presentation of self in the daily life as well as Turner’s thoughts on liminal situations and the change of individual at the end of this process. The boundaries of this influence are expanded so far that seeks to transform the whole society into an apect of the Sacred. This is, of course, challenged by issues directly related to the limitations of body. This article is an interdisciplinary research between principles of the Performance Theory and theatrical rituals and theories of anthropology and sociology to get a solution for issues discussed in this research.