Anomie of Social Structures in Iran and Public Views on Proxy Forces

Abstract

Bu çalışma, 7 Ekim 2023 tarihinde Hamas liderliğinde İsrail’e düzenlenen saldırıların ardından gelişen süreci odak noktası olan söylemsel bir an olarak ele alarak, İran’daki devlet destekli vekalet savaşlarına yönelik kamusal söylemi yorumlayıcı sosyolojik bir çerçeveyle incelemektedir. Durkheim’ın Sosyal Anomi kavramından hareketle yapılan analiz; meşruiyet kaybı ve normatif kırılmanın, uzun süreli siyasi baskı koşulları altında muhalefetin yeniden yapılandırılmasını nasıl şekillendirdiğini araştırmaktadır. Çalışma, kamuya açık medya söylemleri, protesto sloganları ve dijital anlatıların kavramsal ve yorumlayıcı analizine dayanmakta; kamuoyunun temsili ölçümünden ziyade anlamlandırma süreçlerine odaklanmaktadır. Analiz, incelenen söylem dahilinde bu dönemin, dış aktörlere yönelik dışa dönük bir husumet yaratmaktan ziyade; özellikle bölgesel vekil çatışmalarının yurt içi refaha tercih edilmesine ilişkin, İran devletine yönelik içe dönük bir eleştiriyi ön plana çıkardığını göstermektedir. Bu tür bir muhalefet; merkezi bir organizasyondan yoksun, ancak toplumsal açıdan sonuç doğurucu nitelikte olan parçalı, aşağıdan yukarıya ve dijital dolaylı formlar halinde ortaya çıkmaktadır. Makale, Anomi koşulları altında siyasi anlamın aktarılmasında aracılık eden ve organik eleştirilerin konsolide edilmesine yardımcı olan kültürel ve medya aracıları olarak 'Yorumcular ve Çevirmenler' (Interpreters and Translators) rolünü kuramsallaştırarak, bu tür anlatıların resmi siyasi organizasyonların dışında nasıl kalıcılaştığını açıklığa kavuşturmakta ve yorumlayıcı sosyolojiye katkıda bulunmaktadır."

Keywords

• dijital muhalefet
• bireysel aktörlük
• İran
• Orta Doğu vekalet savaşları
• sosyal anomi

Anomie of Social Structures in Iran and Public Views on Proxy Forces

Abstract

This study employs an interpretive sociological framework to examine Iranian public discourse on state-sponsored proxy warfare, using the aftermath of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, as a focal discursive moment. Drawing on Durkheim’s concept of social anomie, the analysis explores how legitimacy erosion and normative breakdown shape the reconfiguration of dissent under conditions of prolonged political repression. The study is based on a conceptual and interpretive analysis of publicly available media discourse, protest slogans, and digital narratives, focusing on meaning-making processes rather than representative measurement of public opinion. The analysis indicates that, within the examined discourse, rather than generating outward-directed hostility toward external actors, this period foregrounded inward-directed critique of the Iranian state, particularly regarding the prioritization of regional proxy conflicts over domestic welfare. Such dissent emerges in fragmented, bottom-up, and digitally mediated forms that are not centrally organized yet remain socially consequential. The article contributes to interpretive sociology by theorizing the role of “Interpreters and Translators” as cultural and media intermediaries who mediate political meaning and help consolidate organic critiques under conditions of anomie, thereby clarifying how such narratives persist outside formal political organization.

Keywords

• digital dissent
• individual agency
• Iran
• Middle East proxy wars
• social anomie

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