The Representation of the Lower Class in Post-Revolutionary Iranian Cinema

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Sareh Amiri 1
Ehsan Aqababaee 2
1 student
2 isfahan university
10.22034/jcsc.2019.36673
Abstract
This paper investigates the cinematic representation of the lower class in Iranian films following the Islamic Revolution, analyzing changes in their portrayal over three decades. Sixteen films produced during the period between 1981 and 2016 were analyzed, drawing on Zygmunt Bauman’s theory of “the new poor.” The findings reveal that in the 1980s, the lower class is portrayed as “noble,” reflecting a certain reverence. However, this representation evolves over the decades: in the 1990s, they are depicted as “victims,” in the 2000s as “impotent,” and ultimately in the 2010s as “guilty.” These cinematic portrayals reflect and reinforce the dominant political discourses in Iran for each decade. More broadly, this trajectory of representing the poor in Iranian cinema corresponds with the prevailing discourse of consumer capitalism regarding the lower class.

Keywords

 
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Cultural Studies & Communication
Volume 15, Issue 55
Summer 2019
Pages 107-129