Meaningful Sequences of Activities in Qashqai Dwellings

Abstract

Sequences of activities in people’s living environments have observable features that depend on subjective and meaningful aspects in their culture and lifestyle. Spatial and temporal sequences of activities are two ways of separating or aggregating activities. The theoretical framework of this study, based on cultural viewpoints, studies the activities, spatial and temporal distances and sequences of activities and their meanings in the dwelling environment. For the purposes of this study, a case study was done in the residential environment of the Qashqai tribe. For this study, a qualitative research method with data gathering techniques such as taking pictures from the environment and activities, drawing residential units’ maps, behaviour settings diagrams and semi-structured laddering interviews was used. Analytical findings were classified as either ‘spatial sequence’ or ‘temporal sequence’ of activities. The Means-End model, representing consequences and meanings of the sequences of activities, was presented in the form of ‘Feature-Consequence-Meaning’ diagrams. The results show that the sequences of activities in ‘Qashqai’ dwelling are influenced by such meanings as ‘social status’ and ‘family privacy’. Other consequences such as ‘desirable conditions of activities occurrence’ form conditions for lifestyle habitus in dwelling. In addition to providing a theoretical framework for the study of the human-environment relationship and the presentation of activity sequence properties, the results emphasize the meaningfulness of spatial and temporal sequences of activities in dwellings.