Iranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-184719220260622Health communication and Iranian cinema: A critical discourse analysis of cancer portrayals in the 2000s and 2010sHealth communication and Iranian cinema: A critical discourse analysis of cancer portrayals in the 2000s and 2010s53657110.22035/jicr.2026.3604.3817FAAbbasGhanbari BaghestanAssociate Professor, Department of Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Iran0000-0001-9530-1727MehravehTaghizadehMaster of Communication Studies, Department of Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran0009-0005-6854-3022Journal Article20251206Cinema, as an art–media form, can contribute to the consolidation, elimination, or reproduction of social discourses and stereotypes related to diseases, including cancer. Therefore, analyzing the ways cancer is portrayed in films—understood as a communicative phenomenon—is important and can illuminate how collective perceptions of stereotypes, patterns of illness experience, and modes of coping are shaped. This study aimed to identify and compare cancer-related discourses in cinema. Using multimodal critical discourse analysis and complete sampling, it analyzed eight Iranian films addressing cancer produced during the 2000s and 2010s. The findings show that the shared discourses across the two decades include “escape from illness,” and “treatment signs as illness signs”. Distinct discourses of the 2000s include “medical diagnosis,” “spiritual healing,” and “nuclear-family support,” while the distinct discourses of the 2010s include “deteriorating relationships,” “fatalism,” and “loneliness.”. Based on the findings, Iranian cinema in both decades demonstrates cancer in a negative and stereotypical manner, characterized by overgeneralization and the othering of patients through confining them to specific spaces and depicting them as passive subjects. Drawing on the EPPM Model, the categories of “disease without identity” and “incurability” can be extracted. Iranian cinema presents a fearful image of cancer in which no recommended responses grounded in self-efficacy or response efficacy are offered to viewers. This, in turn, leads audiences to maintain distance from cancer risk. Overall, Iran’s health system is treatment-oriented, and Iranian cinema likewise appears to adopt the same orientation in its portrayal of cancer.Cinema, as an art–media form, can contribute to the consolidation, elimination, or reproduction of social discourses and stereotypes related to diseases, including cancer. Therefore, analyzing the ways cancer is portrayed in films—understood as a communicative phenomenon—is important and can illuminate how collective perceptions of stereotypes, patterns of illness experience, and modes of coping are shaped. This study aimed to identify and compare cancer-related discourses in cinema. Using multimodal critical discourse analysis and complete sampling, it analyzed eight Iranian films addressing cancer produced during the 2000s and 2010s. The findings show that the shared discourses across the two decades include “escape from illness,” and “treatment signs as illness signs”. Distinct discourses of the 2000s include “medical diagnosis,” “spiritual healing,” and “nuclear-family support,” while the distinct discourses of the 2010s include “deteriorating relationships,” “fatalism,” and “loneliness.”. Based on the findings, Iranian cinema in both decades demonstrates cancer in a negative and stereotypical manner, characterized by overgeneralization and the othering of patients through confining them to specific spaces and depicting them as passive subjects. Drawing on the EPPM Model, the categories of “disease without identity” and “incurability” can be extracted. Iranian cinema presents a fearful image of cancer in which no recommended responses grounded in self-efficacy or response efficacy are offered to viewers. This, in turn, leads audiences to maintain distance from cancer risk. Overall, Iran’s health system is treatment-oriented, and Iranian cinema likewise appears to adopt the same orientation in its portrayal of cancer.http://www.jicr.ir/article_571_c9892a989183de32e976c6f04e700201.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-184719220260622Consumption, everyday life, and alienation in the 22 Bahman neighbourhood of KermanshahConsumption, everyday life, and alienation in the 22 Bahman neighbourhood of Kermanshah376756910.22035/jicr.2026.3527.3751FASiyavashGholipourAssociate Professor in Sociology, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran0000-0001-9559-6246NaderAmiriAssociate Professor in Sociology, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran0000-0001-8007-9318BaharMehrM.A student of Cultural Study, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran0009-0004-1416-4580Journal Article20250924This article examines the role of consumption in the everyday life of residents of the 22-Bahman neighbourhood in the metropolis of Kermanshah. The study’s theoretical approach is grounded in Henri Lefebvre’s ideas on everyday life and consumption. The research method is ethnographic, with data collected through direct observation and in-depth interviews. Twenty-five residents were selected through theoretical sampling and interviewed in depth. The findings show that the 22-Bahman was first developed in the early 1960s in the north of Kermanshah and is now one of the city’s most affluent areas. From the mid-1970s onward, earlier consumer spaces located in the old city were gradually relocated here, turning 22-Bahman into the city’s most vibrant consumption hub. Of the 565 shops lining its main streets, 560 are consumption-oriented. In addition, Bargh Street has become an evening showcase for luxury cars that cruise from 7 p.m. until well past midnight. In this context, the food, fashion, automobile, tourism and advertising sub-systems create an ideal environment for consumerism, embedding instability into commodities through planned old-fashion and make-belive. Residents constantly search for ever-new goods, driven by a perpetual compulsion to align with an idealised consumer standard that they regard as social mobility. These sub-systems and their internal mechanisms target the individual’s creative and self-reliant capacities, locating happiness not in self-determination, social solidarity or human interaction but in acquiring commodities that are forever going out of style. Consequently, most consumers remain indifferent to the fate of the city’s poor and marginalised populations.This article examines the role of consumption in the everyday life of residents of the 22-Bahman neighbourhood in the metropolis of Kermanshah. The study’s theoretical approach is grounded in Henri Lefebvre’s ideas on everyday life and consumption. The research method is ethnographic, with data collected through direct observation and in-depth interviews. Twenty-five residents were selected through theoretical sampling and interviewed in depth. The findings show that the 22-Bahman was first developed in the early 1960s in the north of Kermanshah and is now one of the city’s most affluent areas. From the mid-1970s onward, earlier consumer spaces located in the old city were gradually relocated here, turning 22-Bahman into the city’s most vibrant consumption hub. Of the 565 shops lining its main streets, 560 are consumption-oriented. In addition, Bargh Street has become an evening showcase for luxury cars that cruise from 7 p.m. until well past midnight. In this context, the food, fashion, automobile, tourism and advertising sub-systems create an ideal environment for consumerism, embedding instability into commodities through planned old-fashion and make-belive. Residents constantly search for ever-new goods, driven by a perpetual compulsion to align with an idealised consumer standard that they regard as social mobility. These sub-systems and their internal mechanisms target the individual’s creative and self-reliant capacities, locating happiness not in self-determination, social solidarity or human interaction but in acquiring commodities that are forever going out of style. Consequently, most consumers remain indifferent to the fate of the city’s poor and marginalised populations.http://www.jicr.ir/article_569_8b16ebc056e613024c057be590b542eb.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-184719220260622Rhetoric and tautology in speech, reluctance and refusal in execution: Analysis of the status of the culture sector in development program lawsRhetoric and tautology in speech, reluctance and refusal in execution: Analysis of the status of the culture sector in development program laws699957010.22035/jicr.2026.3503.3735FARezaMasoumiradAssistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran0000-0003-4035-229XJournal Article20250924This article has evaluated the cultural provisions of development program laws in terms of legislative and planning criteria. For this purpose, first, thematic analysis of cultural policies and materials was used to measure their compliance, and then their evaluation and pathology were used by referring to experts. In this study, a model was designed and used to evaluate legislative texts and documents, and with its help, the cultural provisions of the five-year development plans, including the fourth, fifth, and sixth development plans, as well as the law on permanent provisions of development plans, were analyzed, and their weaknesses and shortcomings were examined in terms of legislative and planning criteria. For this purpose, 30 cultural planning and policymaking experts were consulted, and in two stages.The main results of this study were the formal compliance of 67 percent of cultural provisions of development programs with general superior policies and the lower than average compliance (54 percent) of cultural provisions with legislative criteria. Also, the percentage of realization of these provisions was evaluated as about 30 percent in total, which was 30 percent for the sixth program and about 37 percent for the fourth program. The reasons for this can be attributed to the tautology and repetition of cultural policies in development laws in an impractical and vague manner, lack of realism, and changes in the cultural discourse of the implementers after the approval of development laws, resulting in their failure to be realized in practice and implementation.This article has evaluated the cultural provisions of development program laws in terms of legislative and planning criteria. For this purpose, first, thematic analysis of cultural policies and materials was used to measure their compliance, and then their evaluation and pathology were used by referring to experts. In this study, a model was designed and used to evaluate legislative texts and documents, and with its help, the cultural provisions of the five-year development plans, including the fourth, fifth, and sixth development plans, as well as the law on permanent provisions of development plans, were analyzed, and their weaknesses and shortcomings were examined in terms of legislative and planning criteria. For this purpose, 30 cultural planning and policymaking experts were consulted, and in two stages.The main results of this study were the formal compliance of 67 percent of cultural provisions of development programs with general superior policies and the lower than average compliance (54 percent) of cultural provisions with legislative criteria. Also, the percentage of realization of these provisions was evaluated as about 30 percent in total, which was 30 percent for the sixth program and about 37 percent for the fourth program. The reasons for this can be attributed to the tautology and repetition of cultural policies in development laws in an impractical and vague manner, lack of realism, and changes in the cultural discourse of the implementers after the approval of development laws, resulting in their failure to be realized in practice and implementation.http://www.jicr.ir/article_570_a86c450b76fb8c371afead6410d55534.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-184719220260622Emergence of developmental character-based discourse in post-revolutionary Iran (1989-2001)Emergence of developmental character-based discourse in post-revolutionary Iran (1989-2001)10114056210.22035/jicr.2026.3566.3787FAHadiAghajanzadehPhD in Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Iran0009-0000-4668-3394Journal Article20251020This article examines the emergence of a Developmental Character-Based Discourse in post-revolutionary Iran (1989–2001). The dominant revolutionary discourse initially emphasized “innate guidance” and a “divine human being,” rendering early character narratives unrelated to developmentalism. The war’s end and practical necessities revived character-based discourse. The core question is how this shift from “revolutionary essentialism” to a “Developmental Character-Based Discourse” occurred and was reconfigured in cultural and social policymaking. The shift emerged through a realignment of official discourse that redefined “backwardness” as a threat to Islamic values and promoted “civilization-building.” Developmentalist social and political scientists, stressing the measurement and management of Iranian “attitudes” and “character traits,” played a pivotal role. Alongside state institutions—especially IRIB and the Supreme Council of Cultural Policy—they constructed a new character-driven subjectivity aligned with state developmental objectives. This project crystallized in initiatives like the “Survey of Iranian Values and Attitudes,” which aimed not to empower society but to control and harmonize behaviors to establish a desirable “social order” and support economic development. Thus, the discourse moderated public expectations and legitimized state economic and cultural policies. Without analyzing such surveys directly, this study explores the historical context that made them relevant.This article examines the emergence of a Developmental Character-Based Discourse in post-revolutionary Iran (1989–2001). The dominant revolutionary discourse initially emphasized “innate guidance” and a “divine human being,” rendering early character narratives unrelated to developmentalism. The war’s end and practical necessities revived character-based discourse. The core question is how this shift from “revolutionary essentialism” to a “Developmental Character-Based Discourse” occurred and was reconfigured in cultural and social policymaking. The shift emerged through a realignment of official discourse that redefined “backwardness” as a threat to Islamic values and promoted “civilization-building.” Developmentalist social and political scientists, stressing the measurement and management of Iranian “attitudes” and “character traits,” played a pivotal role. Alongside state institutions—especially IRIB and the Supreme Council of Cultural Policy—they constructed a new character-driven subjectivity aligned with state developmental objectives. This project crystallized in initiatives like the “Survey of Iranian Values and Attitudes,” which aimed not to empower society but to control and harmonize behaviors to establish a desirable “social order” and support economic development. Thus, the discourse moderated public expectations and legitimized state economic and cultural policies. Without analyzing such surveys directly, this study explores the historical context that made them relevant.http://www.jicr.ir/article_562_4e4b5fbbbb602b6d35bea8460aa8f8e5.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-184719220260622A systematic review of research on adolescent identity and media in IranA systematic review of research on adolescent identity and media in Iran14118356510.22035/jicr.2026.3524.3749FASomayeBakeshluPhD Student in Culture and Communication, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Culture and Communication, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran0009-0001-0679-0969HasanBashirProfessor of International Communication Sociology, Department of Propagation and Communication, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Culture and Communication, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran0000-0003-0793-6832Journal Article20250720In the present era, media has attracted researchers' attention as one of the most important elements influencing identity. The research conducted in this domain, which has gained significant momentum in recent years, has been thematically scattered. Consequently, there was a need to synthesize and analyze the results of the conducted research in order to apply a multidimensional, comprehensive, and analytical perspective to the existing body of work. This study, while reviewing some theories in the field of identity and utilizing the systematic review method, examined 53 scientific studies published between 2004 and 2024 and concluded that the majority of the research has been conducted either qualitatively or quantitatively, with combined-methods research receiving considerably less attention. Furthermore, through the analysis of the results, five main themes were identified, which are as follows: First, the types of interaction between adolescent identity and media in cyberspace; Second, the impact of media on dimensions of identity, including the weakening of national and religious identity when confronted with global media, gender identity disorder, and the reinforcement of individualism; Third, factors affecting identity crisis, such as duration of use, the role of family, and the type of media; Fourth, the identity-forming function of media in creating subcultures; and Fifth, the unbalanced research focus on specific types of identity. The methodological gaps in these studies also include a shortage of longitudinal studies, geographical limitations of the samples, and the dominance of Western theories.In the present era, media has attracted researchers' attention as one of the most important elements influencing identity. The research conducted in this domain, which has gained significant momentum in recent years, has been thematically scattered. Consequently, there was a need to synthesize and analyze the results of the conducted research in order to apply a multidimensional, comprehensive, and analytical perspective to the existing body of work. This study, while reviewing some theories in the field of identity and utilizing the systematic review method, examined 53 scientific studies published between 2004 and 2024 and concluded that the majority of the research has been conducted either qualitatively or quantitatively, with combined-methods research receiving considerably less attention. Furthermore, through the analysis of the results, five main themes were identified, which are as follows: First, the types of interaction between adolescent identity and media in cyberspace; Second, the impact of media on dimensions of identity, including the weakening of national and religious identity when confronted with global media, gender identity disorder, and the reinforcement of individualism; Third, factors affecting identity crisis, such as duration of use, the role of family, and the type of media; Fourth, the identity-forming function of media in creating subcultures; and Fifth, the unbalanced research focus on specific types of identity. The methodological gaps in these studies also include a shortage of longitudinal studies, geographical limitations of the samples, and the dominance of Western theories.http://www.jicr.ir/article_565_cbcb58ac2e496207586df2854b17995f.pdfIranian Institute for Social & Cultural ResearchJournal of Iranian Cultural Research2008-184719220260622A sociological analysis of women's desire for sexual cosmetic surgery: An examination of social and cultural factorsA sociological analysis of women's desire for sexual cosmetic surgery: An examination of social and cultural factors18522757210.22035/jicr.2025.3363.3626FAReyhanehNajjaranB.A. in Sociology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran0009-0000-9754-6066MajidFouladiyanAssociate Professor, Department of Social Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran0000-0002-7787-6006ToktamNamayandeh JoorabchiPost-Doctoral, Faculty of Education, The National University of Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia0000-0001-6236-9573Journal Article20240904In recent years, sexual cosmetic surgeries have become a growing trend among Iranian women. This study aims to investigate the social and cultural factors influencing women's desire to undergo such surgeries in Iran and Mashhad. Using a qualitative method and grounded theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 women who had undergone these types of surgeries. The findings indicate that various factors such as family experiences, social comparison, the influence of reference groups (husbands, doctors, and friends), and media play a role in women's decision-making to undergo these surgeries. Secondary family experiences and experiences related to marital relationships are the primary contexts that create a sense of emptiness in sexual relationships. Women’s comparisons with others, especially with idealized images presented in the media, lead to reduced self-confidence and an increased desire for cosmetic surgery. Physicians, as reference groups, also play a significant role in these decisions, particularly through marketing and the use of advertisements in virtual spaces. Finally, the positive outcomes of sexual cosmetic surgeries include improved sexual relationship quality, increased marital satisfaction, and enhanced women's self-confidence. Overall, this study demonstrates that sexual cosmetic surgeries in Iranian society are influenced by a wide range of social and cultural factors that affect women's decisions to undergo these procedures.In recent years, sexual cosmetic surgeries have become a growing trend among Iranian women. This study aims to investigate the social and cultural factors influencing women's desire to undergo such surgeries in Iran and Mashhad. Using a qualitative method and grounded theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 women who had undergone these types of surgeries. The findings indicate that various factors such as family experiences, social comparison, the influence of reference groups (husbands, doctors, and friends), and media play a role in women's decision-making to undergo these surgeries. Secondary family experiences and experiences related to marital relationships are the primary contexts that create a sense of emptiness in sexual relationships. Women’s comparisons with others, especially with idealized images presented in the media, lead to reduced self-confidence and an increased desire for cosmetic surgery. Physicians, as reference groups, also play a significant role in these decisions, particularly through marketing and the use of advertisements in virtual spaces. Finally, the positive outcomes of sexual cosmetic surgeries include improved sexual relationship quality, increased marital satisfaction, and enhanced women's self-confidence. Overall, this study demonstrates that sexual cosmetic surgeries in Iranian society are influenced by a wide range of social and cultural factors that affect women's decisions to undergo these procedures.http://www.jicr.ir/article_572_e6b4b2a746ed40e1af829d1fa82daa10.pdf