An Integrated Analysis of Violence Representation in Home-Video-Network Series: Applying Barthes (1968), Fiske (2005), and Fairclough’s (2003) Approaches

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Foreign Languages. Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan

2 MA in Linguistics, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Rafsanjan, Iran

3 Ph.D. candidate at Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran;

Abstract

This study examines the representation of violence in Iranian Home-Video Network television series through a combined framework of semiotics by John Fiske (2005) and Roland Barthes (1968), alongside Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis (2003). The research analyzes seven series—Pust-e Shir , Yaghi , Gorbagheh , Zakhm-e Kari , Nahang-e Abi , Mikham Zendeh Beman , and Siavash —focusing on the frequency and diversity of violence. Results indicate that verbal violence dominates with 39.4% prevalence in the analyzed scenes, prominently observed in series such as Nahang-e Abi and Zakhm-e Kari. Violence in these series is portrayed not merely as a physical or individual phenomenon but as a social and cultural message. At the descriptive level, producers employ techniques such as specific vocabulary, grammatical features, and complex textual structures to depict violence. At the interpretive and explanatory levels, violence serves as a tool for social critique, exploring power dynamics, identity, and character psychology. This research, using a descriptive-analytical method, examines the first season of series from the Home-Video network based on Fiske and Barthes' semiotics and Fairclough's discourse analysis. The study offers profound insights into the role of violence in meaning-making and narrative progression, meticulously analyzing visual, auditory, and narrative elements. It further demonstrates that the Home-Video Network platform not only reflects societal concerns but also actively shapes and reproduces cultural and social discourses.

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History

  • Receive Date: 04 March 2025
  • Revise Date: 24 April 2025
  • Accept Date: 26 April 2025

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