Mandegari (Māndigārī): Semantic Exploration of the Enduring Qualities of Historic Places
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Maghreby, Shahead
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Abstract
The paper explores the semantic potential of the Farsi term mandegari (māndigārī) to describe historic places within the context of built environment. This word holds significant meaning for characterizing the attributes of different phenomena. To start, a comprehensive review of Farsi literature highlights its utilization in scholarly research, where scholars and researchers have employed this term to express the enduring qualities of historic places. The paper delves into the terminology of mandegari in Farsi dictionaries, exploring its various nuances and associations. The surface definition of mandegari is identified as meaning someone or something who stays in a place, possessing stability and durability. Conventional content analysis is then employed to extract themes and sub-themes from dictionary definitions and examples. In the next step, the research extends to an examination of peer-reviewed Farsi articles on built environment as a case study, using summative content analysis to unearth the semantic dimensions of mandegari. From this analysis, themes of positivity-neutrality, objectivity-subjectivity, and perenniality-metamorphosis emerged. While the connotations of mandegari are predominantly positive, the term also contains objective and subjective dimensions. Then, the dual aspects of perenniality and metamorphosis are explored to understand how places evolve over time while maintaining their essential attributes. By illuminating the convergence of these seemingly opposite concepts, the paper shows how they coexist to shape a place’s character. The paper also highlights a gap in the literature on built environment concerning a precise understanding of the concept of mandegari in the Farsi language. It aims to encompass shared meanings and experiences of this concept among scholars. By exploring these tensions and providing a thorough exploration of the semantic dimensions of mandegari, the research contributes to the field’s theoretical framework. The study aligns with the tradition of introducing new concepts to enrich architectural discourse, like how Christian Norberg-Schulz introduced the concept of genius loci (spirit of the place) from ancient Roman culture. In essence, the research provides a valuable exploration of the nuanced meanings and implications of mandegari in the context of historic places.
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2025-03
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