The Socialization of the Image of Clergymen on the films of the2000s and 2010s of Iranian Cinema

How social groups are represented affects the perception and experience of social group members of themselves and their place in society and how others view them. This article reviews the literature on representation and the construction of media discourse, and studies how the image of the clergy as a social group is constructed in Iranian cinema films. In this article, using critical semiotics, the evolution of the position of clerics in society, and the relationship of clerics with other sections of society in Iranian cinema films in the last two decades has been analyzed. Using purposive sampling method, four films "Under the Moonlight", "Gold and Copper", "Scandal" and "Paradise" were selected and each film was analyzed in three stages: technical codes, social codes and ideological codes.According to the analysis of the findings, the ideal character of the clergyman portrayed in these four films is a "social clergyman" who influences and is influenced by his presence among the people; However, this image has evolved in different periods, in accordance with the dominant discourse. In general, the social construction of the image of the clergy in Iranian cinema films indicates the transformation of the image of the traditional clergy to the social clergy, and finally, the transformation of the image of the clergy.