Media Representation of National Identity through Cultural Event Management (Case Study: The &quot;Iran Night&quot; Event)

Attari, Seyed Mohammad; Jafari Haftkhani, Nader; Faraji, Mojtaba

doi:10.30497/smt.2026.250219.3718

Media Representation of National Identity through Cultural Event Management (Case Study: The "Iran Night" Event)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Seyed Mohammad Attari ¹

Nader Jafari Haftkhani ²

Mojtaba Faraji ¹

¹ PhD Student in Culture and Communication, Imam Sadiq University

² Associate Professor, Faculty of Islamic Studies and Management, Imam Sadiq University

10.30497/smt.2026.250219.3718

Abstract

This study examines national identity representation in Persian-language news outlets, focusing on the "Iran Night" event as a symbolic occurrence. It investigates how news agencies narrated the event through specific semantic mechanisms to formulate distinct images of "Iran" and the "Iranian Self." Grounded in Representation Theory, Imagined Communities, and Social Identity Theory, the research elucidates the link between media texts, meaning production, and identity boundaries. Using Directed Qualitative Content Analysis*, news units were examined through three levels of open, axial, and selective coding. Findings reveal that the event did not emerge with a singular meaning but became a "battlefield of competing narratives." Media outlets reinforced themes of historical authority, symbolic demarcation against the "Other," or pluralistic readings of national heritage, sometimes framing Iran within a transnational civilizational horizon. Ultimately, the results demonstrate that media are not mere reflectors of national identity but active agents in producing, stabilizing, and redefining it within Iran’s contemporary public sphere.

Keywords

Media Representation

Iran Night"

Event

National Identity

Event Management

Qualitative Content Analysis

Subjects