A Study of the Confrontation of Legitimation and Delegitimation Approaches in Iranian Cinema (2011-2013)

As an art-media, cinema is a reflection of the realities of the society and at the same time it can play a role in creation of currents leaving social impacts. On the other hand, the issue of legitimacy is an important subject in political sociology and studies of power. Cinema is capable of acting in line with the augmentation of the legitimacy of the ruling system or causing the delegitimation of the established power. Attempts have been made in this paper to identify the categories and concepts in the said two approaches of legitimation and deligitimation in the Iranian cinema to identify the dominant approach. The problem has been studied, based on qualitative content analysis, within the framework of the theories about authority in the field of legitimacy particularly the ideas of David Beetham.
Thirteen films have been analyzed in this study: three bestselling and two selected films in the Fajr Film Festivals in 2011 and 2013. The elements of the legitimation approach are as follows: rightfulness of the system, national unity, Sacred Defense, familyism and confrontation with the global arrogance. Some of the elements of delegitimation approach are: inefficiency, corruption of the system, judicial injustice, lack of freedom, weakness of civil society, the lack of protection of women’s rights, immigration, opposition to war, nihilism and secularistic ethic. Overall, the legitimation approach was the dominant in only two films and hence it may be concluded that the dominant approach in contemporary Iranian cinema is the delegitimation one.