Maternal Fortitude in Iranian Cinema: A Feminist-Critical Discourse Examination of Gender Resilience Across Three Films

Contemporary scholarship recognizes media as a powerful mechanism for constructing and perpetuating gender ideologies, yet research examining maternal resilience in non-Western cinematic contexts remains limited. This qualitative study investigates the discursive construction of maternal resilience in three acclaimed Iranian films-Leila (), Track ۱۴۳ (۱), and The Fifth Reaction (۹) through an integrated analytical lens combining Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis and Deborah Cameron's feminist discourse framework. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology with NVivo-assisted thematic coding, this research identifies three dominant themes: "Emotional Resilience," which captures mothers' psychological fortitude; "Socio-cultural Challenges," which examines structural and cultural barriers; and "Family Pillars," which explores mothers' roles as familial anchors. Findings reveal that Iranian cinema presents maternal resilience not as a static trait but as a dynamic, context-dependent process shaped by societal pressures, patriarchal structures, and personal agency. While these films acknowledge persistent gender stereotypes, they simultaneously offer complex portrayals of maternal strength that challenge conventional narratives and suggest possibilities for socio-cultural transformation. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on gender representation in Middle Eastern media and highlights the need for culturally situated analyses of maternal identity and resilience.

کلیدواژه ها:

Maternal resilience ، Iranian cinema ، Critical Discourse Analysis ، feminist discourse analysis ، gender representation