Recognizing and determining the degree of representation of elements and components of national identity

Abstract

The present research has studied the amount and manner of representation of national identity in the 21:00 detailed news section of the first channel of Sima using the method of categorical content analysis. The first channel of Sima is a national network and can be found all over the country, and its detailed news section at 21:00 is one of the late and popular news sections. The sample size of this research was 42 news segments, which spanned the first six months of the year from the first of April to the end of September 2012. In this research, national identity was studied in the form of six social, cultural, political, historical, geographical and religious components, which are desired by most researchers in this field.  The findings of the present research showed that this news section pays attention to the representation of national identity and represents three social, political and religious components more than other components (cultural, geographical and historical). Also, this research showed that the mentioned news department pays attention to highlighting and conceptualization techniques in representing the manifestations of national identity and generally uses these techniques in the majority of news reports. In the discussion of news values, the findings showed that the news section of 21:00 Sima considers more the news value of inclusion and proximity to select and publish news that is directly or indirectly related to national identity and its various components. In addition, the findings showed that news related to national identity are significantly influenced by social and religious political occasions, including presidential elections, as well as the months of Rajab, Sha'ban and Ramadan.  

Statement of the problem

       National identity in today's world and in the era of rapid social transformations and globalization has become one of the important research topics in a considerable part of social sciences and communication sciences. To be convinced in this regard, it is enough to refer to a considerable amount of scholarly works that have directly or indirectly addressed the issue of identity. For example, in the field of globalization, various experts have devoted their most important discussions to the field of culture and identity, among which we can mention "Globalization, Culture and Identity" by Ahmed Golmohammadi, "Culture in the Era of Globalization, Challenges and Opportunities" by Dr. Mohammad Tohid Pham and others. In the field of social sciences and sociology, Richard Chenkins' discussions on social identity, social theory and politics by Craig Calhoun, as well as the discussions of identity and ethnicities in Giddens' book of sociology, Roland Burton's political ethnology are worthy of attention. In the collection of media studies, the book "Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication" by Richard Jackson Harris, who specifically dedicated the fourth chapter of his book to the way identities and ethnicities are reflected and represented in mass media, is worthy of attention. According to the things mentioned here very briefly, it can be said that national identity is one of the most important debates in the modern world, which every thinker has dealt with in some way according to the concerns of his/her favorite field of knowledge.  

      Lexically, the word identity is derived from the word identitas and is used in two apparently contradictory meanings; First, absolute uniformity and uniformity; Second, the distinction that includes stability or continuity over time. Although the two mentioned meanings seem contradictory and contradictory, they are actually directed to two main and complementary aspects of identity. From a modern point of view, Manuel Castells defines identity as "making a process of meaning based on a cultural characteristic or a group of cultural characteristics that are superior to other sources of meaning". He believes that just as roles organize tasks, identity also organizes meaning. (Castells, 1997: 7; quoted by Golmohammadi, 2016: 225). However, it should not be overlooked that Castells, in the introduction to his book "Information Society", about identity, focuses most of the discussions in this field on modern identities and talks about the emergence of resistant identities in the group of religious, cultural, national, ethnic and local populations; And it is also reminded that these new identities can be placed in three general categories that he introduces with the titles of "legitimizing identity", "resistance identity" and "programmatic identity" (Castells, 1994: 22). Most experts consider national identity as a psychological and sociological thing.Among other things, Tajfel links social identity with group membership and considers group membership to consist of three elements: cognitive element (awareness that a person belongs to a group); Value element (assumptions about the positive or negative value consequences of group membership); and the emotional element (feelings towards the group and towards other people who have a special relationship with that group). Based on this, social identity from Tajfel's point of view is that part of a person's perception of himself that originates from his awareness of being a member of a social group(s), along with the value and emotional importance of that membership. (Tajfel, 1998: 9; quoted by Golmohammadi, 2016: 222). Based on this, social identity can be considered as a kind of self-knowledge of a person in relation to others. In other words, the identification process provides the possibility for a social actor to find a suitable and convincing answer to the fundamental questions about who and what he is. From the outsider's point of view [1], identity is aimed at recognizing the border between insider and outsider, which is mainly possible through social homogeneity and differentiation of ingroups from outgroups. The importance of distinctions, tensions and group conflicts, even in the absence of conflict of interests, comes from this aspect of identity (Bron, 1999: 790; quoted by Golmohammadi, 2016: 224).

           National identity is actually one of the types of collective identity from the perspective of thinkers. Collective identity, as stated by Razazifar, is defined as "the common way of thinking (values, beliefs, norms, symbols, approaches), feelings and desires of a group that evokes a sense of obligation and responsibility towards that group". The existence and result of collective identity is the feeling of attachment and commitment to the community and group; In other words, the meaning of adherence, belief and attachment to norms and values, and the meaning of commitment is participation in the development and stabilization of values ??and norms in the relevant group (Razzazifar, 1379: 104; Abolhasani, 1389: 18). Therefore, it can be concluded that the two main and common elements of collective identity are the feeling of commitment and emotional belonging. 11 dimensions of national identity According to the above discussions, national identity can be considered a cognitive, belief and psychological set that by influencing social actions, causes solidarity and cohesion at the level of the nation. In a general view, the various components of national identity are generally summarized as follows:

Social dimension: "The social dimension of national identity is related to the quality of the individual's social relations with the macro-social system. If the relationship between the individual and the society is strengthened, a collective identity is formed at the level of the society, which realizes the "national identity".

Historical dimension: "The historical dimension of national identity can be seen as the common awareness of the people of a society about the historical past and the feeling of attachment to it, the feeling of historical identity and co-history, connecting different generations together, which prevents a generation from being separated from its history."

Geographical dimension: "The geographical environment is the physical, objective, tangible and visible crystallization of national identity. For the formation of the identity of the national unit, it is absolutely necessary to determine the boundaries and territory of a specific land. In other words, a positive attitude towards water and soil as a country and a specific land that has a specific place in the system of existence is called geographical identity."

Cultural dimension: "Culture refers to a common mental and psychological set that was formed in the historical past and during which the process of socialization was transferred to the next generations and the new generations inherited it as a legacy of the past. A collection that can include: values, norms, symbols, beliefs, feelings and approaches that have become a collective conscience among the people of a society in the field of family, economy, politics, religion, socialization and entertainment."

Political dimension: "Political identity is the most important component of national identity. National identity in the political dimension means that people are physically and legally members of the political system or structure, they live within the national borders of a country and are the subject and audience of that country's laws; They also consider themselves members of the system psychologically. Therefore, the love and heart's interest in a political and middle value system and its legitimacy will be a major factor in strengthening national solidarity and bonding." Religious dimension: "Religion as one of the most rooted cultural elements in societies has been considered as one of the basic factors in the formation of the state and nation. The existence of a common religion within a common territory and land has always been considered as one of the foundations of the formation of national solidarity in societies and has played an essential role in the emergence of harmony and social cohesion" (Abolhasani, 2009: 20-22).