Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Communication and Media

Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Communication and Media

Representation of Foreigner in the Most Watched Television Series After the Islamic Revolution

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
1 PhD Student in Media Management, Department of Media Management, Kish International Campus, University of Tehran, Kish, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor of European Studies Department, Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor IRIB University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22085/jiscm.2025.534819.1890
Abstract
With the passage of more than four decades since the Islamic Revolution, the country's media, in accordance with their type, capacity, and audience, have made various topics the subject of their cultural products. The IRIB Organization, as the most important mass media in the country, is no exception to this and, in the period after the Islamic Revolution, has placed on its agenda the consideration of various topics, in various genres and structures.

The main objective of this research is to investigate and identify the representation of foreigners in popular Iranian TV series in the four decades after the Islamic Revolution (1981-2021). For this purpose, four TV series, “Amir Kabir”, “English Bag”, “Zero Degree Circuit”, and “Pahlavi Hat”, were selected, and then the qualitative semiotic analysis method of Selby and Cowdery was used to analyze the series. The main results of the research show: The presence of the British, mainly in the form of politicians, is depicted in all four series, thereby once again emphasizing the "old colonialism" character of England. 2) In the representations, three categories of foreigners have been the focus of the series creators' attention: enemy, friend, and neutral. 3) The focus is on Western foreigners such as Germany, France, England, Russia, and America, and no trace of Eastern foreigners is seen. 4) Some of the stereotypes of the foreigner are: bold, strong, eloquent, responsible, agile, thoughtful, savior, intelligent, powerful, patient, strong-willed, colonialist, superior, exploiter, domineering, bully, oppressor, despot, feminist, evil, and self-interested.
Keywords


Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 22 December 2025