Tehran Representation Flashcards
How events, issues and social groups are represented
-The audience sees the wife of Faraz Kamali, the head of investigations of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, shopping for expensive jewellery, thus portraying a contemporary lifestyle
-This is juxtaposed with shots of a public execution, representing a different aspect of Iranian life from the producers’ perspective
The way media construct versions of reality through representation
-At the start of the show, there is a text slide which states the following: ‘All characters
and events depicted in this series are entirely fictitious. Any similarity to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.’
-This attempts to create distance between the content of the narrative and reality; however, once research relating to the Iran-Israel proxy conflict has been completed, it is clear to see a blurring of lines between some of the key issues within the narrative, primarily Israel’s opposition to Iran’s nuclear programme
How particular social groups in a national and global context may be underrepresented or misrepresented
-Tehran represents a shift in the broadening of content on online streaming platforms, allowing for more diverse characters and narratives to be shared on a global scale.
-Variety magazine describes Tehran as ‘built to flatter the present-day American posture towards Iran, treating its threat as beyond negotiation’. This anchors the importance of thorough research into the factual context as it may impact the audience’s interpretation
The way in which representations make claims about realism
-Rabinyan is seen driving a car through the city. During the journey, they drive past a public execution of a man in the city centre
-The inclusion of this scene could be viewed as a purposefully damaging portrayal of Iranian culture due to the political tensions; however, it is widely reported that there have been public executions in the wake of the protests in Iran
The effect of historical context on representations
The history of the hijab in Iran, which was made compulsory for women to wear following the 1979 Islamic Revolution
-The characters’ differing dress codes contextualises their ideologies and beliefs and can directly reflect their cultural status
-Shira, the Israeli student, is given a headscarf to wear during her interrogation by one of the Iranian agents, connoting the cultural values held in Iran
-The hijab is seen as a symbol of oppression by some; you may wish to discuss recent events in Iran and why some women have chosen to burn their hijabs as a symbol of rebellion
Feminist theory (hooks)
-The protagonist character of Rabinyan could be seen to be empowering women and subverting the stereotypical norms of the genre
-Rabinyan is portrayed as brave, physically strong and able to protect herself. However, there are clear issues in relation to the treatment of women within the narrative, reflecting the cultural context in which it is set
-There is violence toward female characters, both explicitly (Shira) and implicitly (Zhila) within the episode and there is also an attempted sexual assault against Rabinyan
-On the 14th of December 2022, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, an organisation promoting equality and the empowerment of women, voted to remove Iran from the organisation in response to the death of Mahsa Amin
Feminist theory (Van Zoonen)
-Through the main character
of Rabinyan, an alternative representation of a woman is portrayed, although she sometimes falls into ‘role’, portraying more stereotypically feminine characteristics to disguise her true identity
-For example, she uses a bandage from a pretend rhinoplasty operation (a common procedure in Iran) to help maintain her cover
-She often uses societal expectations of what a woman should be / do / look like as her disguise to aid her completion of the mission
