Iranian cultural studies, ignoring subalterns and depoliticization

The present study analyzes the position of cultural studies in Iran through articles published in the quarterly journal of cultural studies and communication in the period 2013-2017. The theoretical basis of the research was the views of Chris Rojek, who divides this field of knowledge into four periods: national-popular, textualtheatrical, global post-belief, and governance and politics. Qualitative meta-analysis was used and the data collection technique was document review. According to findings, out of 156 papers reviewed, 97 papers are in the field of cultural texts, 25 papers are about the marginalized, 8 articles are about daily life, 7 articles are about the analysis of popular culture, 4 articles are about cultural politics, and 14 articles cover other topics. The content of the articles indicates that cultural studies in Iran does not tend to represent silent voices; does not pay much attention to context and texture; It is abstract and the study population is the middle-class people of Tehran. Meanwhile, Iran has a range of different social groups with experience of multiple forms of inequality both in the field of redistribution policy and in the realm of recognition policy. In this sense, most of these studies seem to be limited to depoliticizing society ،and do not intervene much. But that is not the whole story. Although significant changes have taken place in the last two decades and an important part of our lives is affected by complex economic and political processes, this area of knowledge still seeks textual studies. It does not pay attention to how it changes at the level of the material reality of everyday life. Finally, cultural studies in Iran have not yet been able to follow a particular research program and It has not yet achieved the creation of Iranian cultural studies that is inherent in this thought.