Abstract

This contribution analyses the urban identity and historical patterns of spatial development in ancient Baghdad and Isfahan, according to Actor Network Theory (ANT) and Actor-Relational Approach (ARA). In the case of two different historical urban hubs (Baghdad and Isfahan).This article demonstrates how in the course of history, those interactions between various path-dependent networks have produced various, but specific types of urbanity in this region. It aims to show how ANT could clarify the embeddedness of dynamic actor-networks within the Middle Eastern urban spaces. This contribution argues that the institutional settings, customs, and use might even be more crucial for the issue of local identity, precisely because in effect they influence and shape urban living, institutions, form and infrastructures through time.

Highlights

  • Many of the studies on morphology of the Middle Eastern cities deal with the materialized urban forms, while the software and orgware remain largely outside the field of argument (i.e., Jayyusi et al, 2008; Elsheshtawy, 2004; Bosworth et al, 2007)

  • This article demonstrates how in the course of history, those interactions between various path-dependent networks have produced various, but specific types of urbanity in this region. It aims to show how Actor Network Theory (ANT) could clarify the embeddedness of dynamic actor-networks within the Middle Eastern urban spaces

  • I attempt to trace the development-paths of medieval Baghdad and Isfahan through recognizing their actor-networks and discovering the creative agents which have mobilized and pushed these flourishing urban hubs inside their regions

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Summary

Introduction

Many of the studies on morphology of the Middle Eastern cities deal with the materialized urban forms, (e.g., the hardware of the issue), while the software and orgware (the socio-economic use and the specific urban organization) remain largely outside the field of argument (i.e., Jayyusi et al, 2008; Elsheshtawy, 2004; Bosworth et al, 2007) This is a major omission, while all those actors and factors of importance, those specific uses, institutional settings, and evolving customs over here, might even be www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/uspa. Politicians make neither choice and experts bring results to a stalemate far too often in a mismatch of elements of both positions (mostly in external structure and internal content respectively) In this contribution I want to by-pass this “bi-structured debate”, by proposing an actor-relational approach for understanding two different patterns of urban development inside the Middle East. To analyses those institutional settings and actor network structures in these cities, I will start by explaining some headlines of the Actor-Network-Theory (ANT) of urban design and planning

A Conceptual Framework
Conclusion
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