The Boundary Between Protest and Political Immorality: Offensive Slogans in Contemporary Iran

Abstract

This study presents a critical socio-political analysis of the discursive shifts in the language of protest in contemporary Iran, with a specific focus on the dynamics of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement of 2022. The central problem of this research concerns the emergence of "taboo-breaking slogans" as a novel form of political contestation, wherein traditional boundaries of "public morality" and "state sanctity" are transgressed. The primary objective is to analyze the ambiguous space between the exercise of the legitimate right to protest and the state's counter-discourse, which frames these linguistic shifts as "norm-defiance and political immorality." Methodologically, the study employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Theoretically, it draws upon Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of the "Carnivalesque" to understand the subversion of sacred hierarchies, James C. Scott's "Weapons of the Weak," and Slavoj Žižek's perspectives on "structural violence." Furthermore, Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional model is utilized as the analytical framework, encompassing text analysis, discursive practice, and social practice.

The findings indicate that the recourse of protesters—particularly Generation Z as a pivotal actor—to radical and abrasive language constitutes a political strategy for "desacralization" and the dismantling of the symbolic hegemony the state has constructed under the guise of religion and morality. The study suggests that the state utilizes the concept of "morality" as a mechanism for social control and a tool for legitimizing physical violence. Conversely, the protesters redefine "political profanity" as a form of "legitimate linguistic violence" in response to the systematic violence of the establishment. Additionally, digital spaces and "political memes" have played a fundamental role in transitioning this language from the private to the public sphere, forging a new political identity. Ultimately, the research concludes that the intensifying radicalism in slogans reflects the dissolution of the "social contract" and the collapse of the moral agreement between society and the system. This discursive shift signals a transition from reformism toward political radicalism and a total rejection of the state's cultural hegemony, where "language" serves as the final bastion of resistance and a tool for symbolic liberation.