Conceptualization of Death in Iran’s Official Media: A Case Study of the Bombing of Ain al-Assad Military Base

Objective: This study examines how Iranian media represents and conceptualizes the bombing of the Ain al-Assad military base as part of the "revenge operations" following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani. From a native perspective, this cognitive-discursive analysis focuses on how these events are formulated and conceptualized within Iranian media narratives. The media differentiates between the deaths of ordinary individuals and those considered ideological adherents, referring to the latter as martyrdom, while characterizing the deaths of out-group members as acts of killing and destruction. This border-making media-based image is a step toward antagonizing the others, who, in this context, are the Americans and Israelis.Results: Employing metaphor theory to explore the cognitive dimension and the concept of antagonism to analyze the discursive dimension, the findings reveal that Iranian formal media uses the metaphor “DEATH AS DESTRUCTION” to depict the deaths of out-group members negatively, whereas positive, in-group deaths are conceptualized through metaphors such as “DEATH AS JOURNEY”, “DEATH AS LOSS,” “DEATH AS SLEEP,” and “DEATH AS SALVATION.” Conclusion: In the cognitive conceptualization promoted by Iranian media, members of the oppressed group who are killed attain heaven, while their adversaries are consigned to hell. This perspective is influenced by elements such as mystical traditions, the principles of Wilayat and Imamat in Shi'a Islam, and the Islamic Revolution’s interpretation of jihad. Within this theological framework, death is cognitively represented as a form of sacred suffering and the beginning of eternal life marked by divine satisfaction.

کلیدواژه ها:

antagonism ، Conceptualization ، Metaphor ، Positive and Negative Conceptualization of Death ، Iranian Media ، Ayn al-Assad