Navigating Class, Gender, and Urban Mobile Spaces: Dissecting Iranian Car Social Spaces in Cinematic Narratives

This study scrutinizes the active role of mobile urban spaces in shaping and generating social space. It explores the depiction of car spaces in two Iranian films in their cinematic narratives, symbolic meanings, and influence on the perceptions of urban mobile space, often referred to as third spac...

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Main Author: Nasim Naghavi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Arts
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/14/3/50
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author Nasim Naghavi
author_facet Nasim Naghavi
author_sort Nasim Naghavi
collection DOAJ
description This study scrutinizes the active role of mobile urban spaces in shaping and generating social space. It explores the depiction of car spaces in two Iranian films in their cinematic narratives, symbolic meanings, and influence on the perceptions of urban mobile space, often referred to as third spaces in the urban studies literature. This interdisciplinary paper investigates the socio-cultural manifestations of the car interiors in two hybrid docufiction films: <i>Ten</i>, directed by Abbas Kiarostami, and <i>Taxi</i>, by Jafar Panahi. Built on the new mobilities paradigm’s perspective on the mobile space of cars wherein social space is inevitably produced and re-produced, this paper reveals the socio-cultural dynamics of the car space in the films’ representations. The car space produces subjectivities, exhibits socio-cultural foundations, offers a sense of belonging and place-making, and provides opportunities for informal social interactions, while embodying power dynamics. The central aim is to revise our conceptualizations of mobility spaces by examining spatial practices that revolve around the car spaces. The paper integrates cinematic representation as a resource for planners and social scientists to conceptualize mobility spaces, introducing diegetic cabinography filmmaking style.
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spelling doaj-art-a5fdecf1594348588095cb458a7fc09d2025-08-20T03:26:25ZengMDPI AGArts2076-07522025-05-011435010.3390/arts14030050Navigating Class, Gender, and Urban Mobile Spaces: Dissecting Iranian Car Social Spaces in Cinematic NarrativesNasim Naghavi0School of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Concordia, 1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, CanadaThis study scrutinizes the active role of mobile urban spaces in shaping and generating social space. It explores the depiction of car spaces in two Iranian films in their cinematic narratives, symbolic meanings, and influence on the perceptions of urban mobile space, often referred to as third spaces in the urban studies literature. This interdisciplinary paper investigates the socio-cultural manifestations of the car interiors in two hybrid docufiction films: <i>Ten</i>, directed by Abbas Kiarostami, and <i>Taxi</i>, by Jafar Panahi. Built on the new mobilities paradigm’s perspective on the mobile space of cars wherein social space is inevitably produced and re-produced, this paper reveals the socio-cultural dynamics of the car space in the films’ representations. The car space produces subjectivities, exhibits socio-cultural foundations, offers a sense of belonging and place-making, and provides opportunities for informal social interactions, while embodying power dynamics. The central aim is to revise our conceptualizations of mobility spaces by examining spatial practices that revolve around the car spaces. The paper integrates cinematic representation as a resource for planners and social scientists to conceptualize mobility spaces, introducing diegetic cabinography filmmaking style.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/14/3/50urban mobilitycultural mobilitysocial spacemobile spacediegetic cabinographyfilm case study
spellingShingle Nasim Naghavi
Navigating Class, Gender, and Urban Mobile Spaces: Dissecting Iranian Car Social Spaces in Cinematic Narratives
Arts
urban mobility
cultural mobility
social space
mobile space
diegetic cabinography
film case study
title Navigating Class, Gender, and Urban Mobile Spaces: Dissecting Iranian Car Social Spaces in Cinematic Narratives
title_full Navigating Class, Gender, and Urban Mobile Spaces: Dissecting Iranian Car Social Spaces in Cinematic Narratives
title_fullStr Navigating Class, Gender, and Urban Mobile Spaces: Dissecting Iranian Car Social Spaces in Cinematic Narratives
title_full_unstemmed Navigating Class, Gender, and Urban Mobile Spaces: Dissecting Iranian Car Social Spaces in Cinematic Narratives
title_short Navigating Class, Gender, and Urban Mobile Spaces: Dissecting Iranian Car Social Spaces in Cinematic Narratives
title_sort navigating class gender and urban mobile spaces dissecting iranian car social spaces in cinematic narratives
topic urban mobility
cultural mobility
social space
mobile space
diegetic cabinography
film case study
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/14/3/50
work_keys_str_mv AT nasimnaghavi navigatingclassgenderandurbanmobilespacesdissectingiraniancarsocialspacesincinematicnarratives