The Representation of Work and Workers in Iranian Cinema (A Comparative Study of the 1980s and 2010s)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 MA in Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran

2 Assistant Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran

3 Assistant Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran.

10.22059/jsal.2026.393944.666388

Abstract

This article adopts a sociological approach to examine the representation of labor and workers in Iranian cinema during two distinct periods: the 1980s (1360s SH) and the 2010s (1390s SH). Drawing on the concept of representation in cultural studies, the research goes beyond mere reflection of reality to analyze how meanings around labor, labor relations, and worker subjects are encoded and constructed in cinematic narratives. Using thematic analysis and a purposive sample of key films from each decade, the study identifies recurring narrative, visual, and discursive patterns in the portrayal of workers. Findings indicate that in the 1980s, workers are depicted as justice-seeking, resistant, and agentive subjects; these representations often involve moral dualisms such as worker/employer and oppressive law/revolutionary justice. In contrast, films of the 2010s reveal a shift toward individualism, job precarity, institutional exclusion, criminalization, and hopelessness; workers are no longer portrayed as political agents, but as isolated individuals facing personal hardships. This shift reflects broader structural transformations in labor relations, the neoliberal turn in policymaking, and dominant discourses in Iranian society. The article argues that cinema does not merely reflect social reality, but plays an active role in shaping and legitimizing hegemonic discourses. A comparative analysis of these representations provides deeper insight into the discursive transformations surrounding labor in contemporary Iran and reveals cinema’s role in reproducing the prevailing social order.

Keywords

Sociology of Art and Literature
Volume 17, Issue 2
Autumn & Winter 2026
June 2026
Pages 7-27

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