Representation of Haj Qassem Soleimani’s Nonverbal Communication Patterns in Visual Documents

The human body and nonverbal behaviors can be studied as a cultural text and a communicative medium through which the identity and authority of political and military figures are represented; accordingly, adopting an interdisciplinary approach within the field of cultural and communication studies, the present research examines the representation of different dimensions of the personality of Martyr Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in visual documents. Addressing the main research question of what patterns of nonverbal communication are represented in the images and videos depicting his presence in various situations and how these patterns contribute to the formation of a multidimensional image of him, this qualitative study employs the semiotic analysis of visual documents. The research corpus consists of 527 images and eight hours of archival video footage from the years 2011 to 2019, from which samples containing communicative significance were selected through purposive sampling and subsequently analyzed. The theoretical framework of the study integrates Max Weber’s concept of charismatic authority, Ray Birdwhistell’s theory of kinesics, Paul Ekman and Wallace Friesen’s theory of facial expressions, and Edward Hall’s theory of proxemics. Ultimately, the findings indicate that the nonverbal patterns represented in images of Soleimani vary according to the situation and the audience, and can be categorized into four dimensions of field authority, paternal affection, soldierly deference, and devotional humility; overall, his body language in these documents functions as a communicative medium that constructs an image in which military authority, social intimacy, and religious humility coexist.