The discursive formation of the university in post-war Iranian cinema

Moradkhani, Homayoun; Soltani-Gordfaramarzi, Mahdi

doi:10.22035/jicr.2025.3351.3618

The discursive formation of the university in post-war Iranian cinema

Document Type : Scientific Research Manuscript

Authors

Homayoun Moradkhani ¹

Mahdi Soltani-Gordfaramarzi ²

¹ Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

² Faculty Member, Academic Centre for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Alborz branch, Karaj, Iran

10.22035/jicr.2025.3351.3618

Abstract

In post-war Iran, the university has been more than just an institution for knowledge production; it has served as a contested arena where discourses, shaped by the turbulence of power and politics, have redefined its identity. This study seeks to unravel the discursive formation of the university in Iranian cinema by exploring three key questions: How have issues pertaining to the university and academic knowledge been discursively represented in post-war films? What distinct orders have these discursive formations followed, and how can their emergence be understood in light of the social and political conditions of post-revolutionary Iran? Employing Foucault’s discourse analysis, eight films from four post-war political periods were purposefully selected: What Else Is New? and Pari (Reconstruction era); The Last Supper and In Purple (Reform era); Heartbroken and In the Cage (Principlist era); and We Won’t Get Used to It and The Sweet Taste of Imagination (Moderation era). The findings point to an implicit politics of truth in post-war Iranian cinema, one that eschews a rational or accurate depiction of the university and academic knowledge in favor of peripheral, often corrosive themes about the institution. Rarely portrayed as a hub of scientific inquiry during this period, the university is instead depicted in films as a space of intellectual confusion, a breeding ground for revolutionary subjects, or a source of social maladies and unconventional relationships. By undermining the university’s scientific role, these portrayals have nudged policymaking toward greater surveillance and control, while transforming societal attitudes from admiration to mistrust. Through a sharp, locally attuned lens, this study bridges gaps in prior research and sheds light on the broader implications of these discourses for the future of education.

Keywords

Representation

discursive formation of the university

foucauldian discourse

Iranian cinema

post-war era

Subjects

University Culture and Subcultures

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