Local Media and the Reproduction of Ethnic Stereotypes in the Multiethnic Societies of Iran and Afghanistan: A Study within the Framework of Cultural Criminology
Keywords:
cultural criminology, media representation, ethnic stereotypes, ethnic labeling, local mediaAbstract
The present study aimed to examine the role of local media in the reproduction of ethnic stereotypes in the multiethnic societies of Iran and Afghanistan within the framework of cultural criminology. The study employed a qualitative content analysis of selected examples of ethnic representation in the visual and print media of both countries. The analyzed cases included the television series Noon Khe, Savushun, and Ghorbat, as well as the television program Fitileh in Iran, and the program Afghan Star and the television series Kabul Kitchen in Afghanistan and at the international level. The findings indicate that media in both countries employ three principal mechanisms for reproducing ethnic stereotypes: threat-oriented framing, spatial and identity-based criminalization, and ideological discourse construction. In Iran, a centralized media structure, combined with a national-religious homogenizing discourse, reproduces stereotypes through the marginalization and securitization of ethnic groups; in Afghanistan, by contrast, profound ethnic pluralism and institutional instability have transformed the media into an arena of direct identity-based contestation. The consequences of such reproduction include the intensification of moral panic surrounding particular ethnic groups, the erosion of social capital, increased public demand for punitive security measures, the widening of ethnic cleavages, and the growing alienation of marginalized groups from the political and media systems. Accordingly, it is recommended that media policymakers replace prevailing approaches with frameworks grounded in multicultural sensitivity and social safety. This can be achieved through strengthening independent local media, developing transparent regulatory guidelines, and promoting media literacy, thereby reducing ethnic stereotyping and enhancing social cohesion as an essential foundation for participatory crime prevention.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mohammad Dawood Nazem (Author); Mahmoud Habibitabar; Mahdi Esmaeli (Author)
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