نوع مقاله : پژوهشی

نویسندگان

• بهار آتش کار ¹
• احسان آقابابایی ²
• حمیدرضا شعیری ³
• تقی آزاد ارمکی ⁴

¹ گروه علوم اجتماعی، دانشگاه اصفهان، اصفهان، ایران

² عضو هیئت علمی

³ گروه زبانشناسی، دانشگاه تربیت مدرس، تهران، ایران

⁴ گروه علوم اجتماعی، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران

چکیده

دهه ۶۰ شمسی در ایران دوره‌ای مهم از لحاظ تحولات سیاسی، اجتماعی و فرهنگی است. در این مقاله با استفاده از روش کیفی، نظریه گفتمان فوکو و با الهام از رویکرد نشانه‌شناسی اجتماعی کرس و ون لیوون، ۱5 تصویر از میان ۴۳۱ تصویر زنان در صفحه اول روزنامه‌های پرتیراژ فارسی‌زبان دههٔ ۶۰ در سه سطح بازنمایی، تعاملی و ترکیبی تحلیل شدند. هدف پژوهش، بررسی گفتمان‌های مسلط در بازنمایی زنان و چگونگی تقویت هنجارهای ایدئولوژیک از طریق این تصاویر است. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد که بازنمایی زنان در روزنامه‌ها فراتر از انعکاس ارزش‌های غالب، فرایندی فعال برای مدیریت تنش‌های هویتی، عادی‌سازی نقش‌های معین جنسیتی و ساخت و تثبیت سوژه زن مطلوب انقلابی از طریق به‌کارگیری سازوکارهای بصری و تکنیک‌های دیداری مشخص بود. تصاویر زنان در روزنامه‌های دهه ۶۰ شمسی ابزاری برای بازتولید گفتمان‌های مسلط و تقویت ارزش‌های انقلابی و اسلامی بودند و زنان را به‌عنوان حامیان پرشور انقلاب و آرمان‌های آن بازنمایی کردند. همچنین، نقش حمایتی زنان در دوران جنگ تحمیلی برجسته شده است؛ در کنار این نقش‌های حمایتی، تصاویری از حضور زنان در عرصه‌های علمی و مدیریتی نیز دیده شد که نشان‌دهنده پذیرش نسبی نقش‌های جدیدتر برای زنان در جامعهٔ انقلابی البته در چارچوب ارزش‌های اسلامی است. علی‌رغم اینکه در این تصاویر، زنان در عرصه‌های گوناگونی حضور فعال داشتند؛ ولی این بازنمایی‌ها نقش زنان را به انتظارات از پیش تعریف‌شده اجتماعی و فرهنگی در چارچوب‌های انقلابی - اسلامی محدود و به تثبیت این گفتمان‌ها کمک کرده‌اند.

کلیدواژه‌ها

• '؛ بازنمایی زنان'؛ دهه ۶۰ شمسی'؛ روزنامه‌های رسمی'؛ نشانه‌شناسی اجتماعی'؛
• '؛ نقش‌های جنسیتی'

موضوعات

• مطالعات زنان

عنوان مقاله [English]

Images of Women and Hegemonic Media Discourse in the 1980s Iran

نویسندگان [English]

• bahar atashkar ¹
• Ehsan Aqababaee ²
• hamidreza shairi ³
• Taghi Azadarmaki ⁴

¹ Department of Social Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

² University of Isfahan

³ Department of Linguistics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

⁴ Department of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

چکیده [English]

Extended Abstract

Introduction

Newspapers, as pivotal instruments of discourse, played a key role in shaping and representing ideological values, as well as in transmitting sociopolitical messages. The representation of women in newspapers not only reflects social and cultural transformations but also serves as a mirror to the structures of power, cultural norms, and prevailing discourses. In this regard, the central inquiry of the present study focused on how women were portrayed in newspapers during the 1980s. It also sought to explore the messages conveyed by these representations regarding women’s roles and sociopolitical status. Therefore, this study, drawing on Foucault’s discourse theory and the social semiotic framework of Kress and Van Leeuwen, examines the representation of women in the 1980s Iranian newspapers, focusing on their social, political, and familial roles, in order to uncover the discursive messages embedded within these images. Many studies have investigated the representation of women in the media, employing both Foucault’s discourse theory and social semiotics as analytical frameworks. Their results suggest that the media can play a major role in the reproduction of gender norms, with images serving as instruments of social control. This study focuses on the 1980s newspapers, with particular attention to the influence of revolutionary and Islamic ideologies on the representation of women, and presents a novel approach to the analysis of visual representations.



Methodology

This qualitative research was grounded in the social semiotic framework of Kress and Van Leeuwen, analyzing the images through three distinct dimensions: representational, interactive, and compositional.. The research sample included 431 images of women published in the front pages of widely circulated Persian-language newspapers during the 1980s in Iran. From this collection, 15 images were purposefully selected for a detailed analysis. The inclusion criteria were based on the presence of women in the images, their alignment with dominant discourses, and the representation of their social, familial, and political roles within the sociopolitical context of the 1980s. Images deemed irrelevant, e.g., those featuring non-Iranian women or those portraying women in a full-face view without additional contexts, were excluded from the analysis. At the representational level, the study focused on how individuals and their roles were portrayed. At the interactive level, the analysis examined the relationship between the audience and the images, considering different factors such as viewpoint, distance, and gaze. At the compositional level, the research explored the visual arrangement of the images and the discursive messages they conveyed. Foucault`s discourse theory was employed for the discourse analysis, facilitating a deeper understanding of the discursive and ideological dynamics at play. To enhance the validity of the research, feedback was sought from scholars specializing in linguistics, women’s studies, and sociology.



Findings

At the representational level, women were depicted as active participants in social, political, and revolutionary spheres, engaging in protests, revolutionary rallies, and elections, supporting efforts on the front lines during the Iran–Iraq war, and providing aid during natural disasters. These images highlighted women’s participation in sociopolitical transformations, their role in resistance, and the construction of a revolutionary female identity. At the interactive level, the analyzed images established a dynamic interaction between the audience and the depicted subjects. The social distance depicted in the collective images, especially those representing protests, accentuated the sense of mass mobilization and active participation of the population. In terms of spatial distance, long-shot images primarily conveyed a sense of observation, employed to depict collective events. In contrast, close-up images fostered a sense of intimacy and empathy. The use of an indirect gaze in the documentary images emphasized the focus on the activity and event, rather than establishing a direct connection with the audience. However, certain images where the subjects gazed directly at the audience aligned the viewer with the discourse message, invited engagement, and fostered a sense of empathy with the women depicted. Images in which the subject’s gaze directly engaged with the audience fostered a greater sense of interaction. Such images were predominantly employed to represent specific themes such as the supportive role of women during the Iran–Iraq war and the Islamic Revolution. The visual compositions and their ideological messages were intentionally structured to convey specific ideological messages. Images depicting women in social and occupational roles were typically paired with dynamic and intricate compositions, whereas the representations of women in familial and traditional roles were presented with more simplistic compositions. The portrayal of women adhering to the Islamic dress code, along with their familial and revolutionary activities, underscored the reinforcement of Islamic and revolutionary discourses, as well as religious values. The composition of the images, characterized by simplicity and the strategic use of visual elements such as open social spaces, dividing lines, the Islamic hijab, and specific lighting accentuated ideological messages that supported Islamic and revolutionary discourses. The representation of women in the 1980s Iran was shaped by three predominant discourses: the revolutionary discourse, which highlighted the revolutionary identity of women through their participation in the Iran–Iraq war and support for the revolution; the religious discourse, which emphasized the familial and maternal roles of women within the framework of Islamic teachings; and the traditional discourse, which emphasized family-oriented values, traditional roles, and the social constraints placed on women.



Conclusion

The depiction of women in the front pages of newspapers during the 1980s reflects the sociocultural regulation and ideological dominance of prevailing discourses concerning women’s roles and identities. The newspapers of that period, despite the meticulous regulation of visual content and the deliberate exclusion of imagery inconsistent with prevailing discourses, actively constructed women’s roles and identities within the ideological framework of revolutionary and religious values. Women were conceptualized as the emblematic figures of resistance, embodying familial and Islamic values. These depictions were confined within the ideological boundaries of revolutionary, religious, and traditional paradigms. Visual semiotics, e.g., adherence to Islamic dress codes, simplistic compositional elements, and representations of familial roles, functioned as mediums for articulating the Revolutionary- Islamic identity of women. At the representational level, women were predominantly depicted within the confines of traditional or revolutionary roles. At the interactive level, the images sought to foster a sense of empathy and establish an emotional rapport with the audience. However, at the compositional level, visual semiotic elements and structures were strategically employed to articulate and transmit discursive messages. Moreover, the visual composition of the images was structured in a manner that constrained women’s roles within specific social and cultural frameworks. The findings of this study align with those of prior research, demonstrating that the media can play a pivotal role in the reproduction of gender norms and the perpetuation of hegemonic discourses. This study drew upon Foucault’s discourse theory alongside the social semiotic framework, presenting a novel methodological approach to analyzing the representation of women in Iranian media. The application of Foucault`s discourse theory coupled with the social semiotic approach of Kress and Van Leeuwen facilitated an in-depth analysis of power dynamics and the representation of women within the context of prevailing discourses. To attain a more nuanced understanding of the representation of women in the media, future studies should adopt a comparative approach, facilitating a deeper exploration of the influence of diverse discourses on women’s roles and identities and identifying both analogous and divergent models.

کلیدواژه‌ها [English]

• '؛ Gender Roles'؛ Official Newspapers'؛
• '؛ Representation of Women'؛ Social Semiotics'؛
• '؛ the 1980s'