SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST CITIES FROM A DECONSTRUCTION PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Introduction: Deconstruction is looking for any meaning, semantics and concepts and then shows how all of them seem to lead to chaos, and are always on the border of meaning duality. Purpose of the study: The study is aimed to investigate urban identity from a deconstruction perspective. Since two important bases of deconstruction are text and meaning and their relationships, we chose the first cities on a symbolic level as a text and tried to analyze their meanings. Methods: The study used a deductive content analysis in three steps including preparation, organization and final report or conclusion. In the first step, we argued deconstruction philosophy based on Derrida’s views accordingly. Then we determined some common semantic features of the first cities. Finally, we presented some conclusions based on a semantic interpretation of the first cities’ identity. Results: It seems that all cities as texts tend to provoke a special imaginary meaning, while simultaneously promoting and emphasizing the opposite meaning of what they want to show.

Keywords

• deconstruction
• text
• meaning
• urban semantics
• the first cities.