Genre Shift and Identity Maintenance – An Analysis of Iranian War Film Genres (1980_2013) with Niklas Luhmann’s Social Systems Theory Golnaz Sarkar Farshi* Received: 2018/01/15 Accepted: 2018/08/11 Abstract A close observation of Iran-Iraq war films in the Iranian society reveals that their genres have shifted in the course of the society’s evolution. This questions the category-based principles of genre we have known so far in literature concerning film theory and necessitates a new conceptualization of genre, which can be realized with the aid of Niklas Luhmann’s social systems theory. This theory abandons categorization in favor of functional differentiation and helps us observe Iranian war movies in their societal context. By taking a close look at the function of film in the society as one of the mass media, and through locating the concepts of memory, reality, identity and genre in Luhmann’s theory, I shall find a pattern in the mentioned genre shift which is in turn punctuated by the Iranian society’s different stages of evolution. To do so, I shall rely on a qualitative, analytical and critical method. Keywords: film genre, identity, Iran-Iraq war, Niklas Luhmann, social systems theory, war film *. PhD student of Media Philosophy, Bauhaus-University Weimar. Email: [email protected]. .................................................................................Genre Shift and Identity Maintenance – An Analysis of Introduction within scientific jargon. The outcome of these The 8-year war between Iran and Iraq endeavors was to attribute a film’s genre was, like any war in any society, post factum to its formal qualities (western), its themes widely reflected on in the Iranian mass media: and motifs (war film, apocalyptic film), its from the TV documentary series Ravāyat-e main characters (doctor films, detective Fath1 to epics which illustrated the prowess of films) among other qualities. However, these Iranian soldiers who were fighting for the sake principles of genre are still not informative of Shia Islam and in favor of protecting the enough despite their diversity. For example, still young “Islamic Revolution”. The close considering a genre as “war film” is not helpful observer can however trace a shift of war in a case like ours because all of the films film genres in different stages of the Iranian mentioned above thematize the 8-year war, society’s evolution after the war. The late whereas they perform totally different social 1980s and almost the entire 1990s witnessed functions. It is here that Niklas Luhmann’s films in which the movie camera did not roam social systemic theories of art and mass at the war front any more, but rather behind media can open up distinct ways of looking the front, observing stories starring children2, at the question of genre, not as classification questions of nationality and identity3, but rather as functional differentiation. prisoners of war and missing soldiers4 and the Furthermore, Luhmanns theory can contribute social problems of war veterans5. to finding answers to the following questions: It is implicit in the above observations that - Why is the Iranian society still reflecting 57 the element-based or theme-based principles on a war which it experienced 39 years ago of genre which we have known by now do through the medium of film?7 not come in handy in such a treatment of - What socio-evolutional shifts have led to motion pictures. As opposed to the definition the change of war film genres in the Iranian of genre in literary theory by philosophers society? and literary theorists such as Northrop Frye I shall answer the above questions and G.W.F. Hegel6 – who lived with enough in a qualitative, analytical and critical historical distance to different literary genres argumentation. In order to make my position on the one hand and were armed with apt and discussions more clear I shall focus on theoretical tools on the other to be able to concrete examples of each genre as well as the develop solid, all-encompassing theories genre shifts mentioned, and I will try to explain of literary genre – the term “genre” in texts the latter with the aid of Luhmann’s social about film was first applied by film critics and systems theory. This analysis presupposes a journalists contemporary to the conception concise critical reading of Luhmann’s theories and development of the motion picture. of art and mass media, which make way for Film theorists only arrived on the scene to developing a Luhmannian theory of film. take genre as their research subject when the multitude of different concepts of the term What is film and what are its genres? were already too widespread to be rethought. Doubtlessly, Niklas Luhmann views film They were confronted with an already- as one of the mass media, which he considers existing term which now had to be regularized a social system with its specific function. For Quarterly Seventh Year, No. 29 Winter 2019 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ him, the mass media are all of the arrangements of by the Polity subsystem) and art films in a society, (which belong to the subsystem of Art) among “which are at the service of many others. To close this gap, we should disseminating information through approach film from another angle of social technical means of duplication. In systems theory, starting with the notions of the first place books, magazines and communication media and codes. newspapers come to mind which are In his communication theory, Luhmann products of the printing press; but enumerates three different problems or we can also think of photographic or improbabilities10 on the way of communication. electronic copying processes of any These are: kind, as long as they create products - the improbability of communicating at in massive numbers and with unknown all; addressees.”8 (Luhmann 1996, 10) - the improbability of reaching the The fact that movies are made only once addressees, since it is not always possible for and then hundreds and sometimes millions of both communication parties to be present at their copies are perceived by addressees out the same place at the same time; and of the director’s reach shows that the motion - the improbability of the success (i.e. pictures fit within Luhmann’s definition of acceptance) of communication. the mass media. The paradox in his theory is Societies develop specialized solutions 58 faced then, when he considers information/ to these problems. The first improbability is not-information to be the symbolically overcome with the emergence of language. generalized medium of communication9 The second is removed thanks to the invention specific to the system of mass media, and then of mass dissemination media. The first of he attributes three distinct programs to this these is the written language, which makes code, namely news/reports, advertisement the writing of letters possible and which is and entertainment. (ibid: 51) Obviously, in further developed following the emergence making this statement which serves as the of the printing press. Telegraph, telephone foundation of his entire theory of mass media, and fax are other forms of mass dissemination Luhmann is only thinking of TV and radio media. But the final problem is specific to programs and newspapers. Hence he loses social systems. Let us clarify this problem and sight of all other mass media such as books the solution to it with an example. Suppose or movies – each of which in turn embrace a you are walking along the street. You are very wide range of forms and subjects and perform hungry but you have left your wallet at home. vastly diverse functions. Of course there are You come across a bakery. What keeps you films which have been merely made for the from helping yourself to the freshly-baked sake of entertainment, and the existence of breads and just walking away? This is the informative and advertising films cannot be most likely thing one would do if only one’s denied. But Luhmann fails to take note of physiology were concerned. But one refrains pedagogic films (which are made/consumed from doing it, which is an improbable reaction, by the Education subsystem of society), because the Law designates this act as rubbery propaganda films (which are taken advantage and punishes it. Furthermore, one’s Moral or .................................................................................Genre Shift and Identity Maintenance – An Analysis of Religious upbringing have taught them that to attribute them to other systems, for stealing is bad. Law, Morality, Religion: instance to the Economy system or to these are three different social subsystems, a (difficult to identify) system of “free each of which functions with a symbolically time” consumption.” (ibid: 126-27) generalized medium of communication and a I want to set this assumption as my starting binary code, which make a certain improbable point, and from there try to formulate a new communication likely to happen. The Law definition for film. I shall start my investigation system’s code is lawful/unlawful, with those from the hypothesis that the mass media do of Morality and Religion being right/wrong not count as a social system (which would and good/evil respectively. Each side of these necessitate the assignment a unified success codes is valued as either negative of positive, code and specific programs to them), but they and it is the positive side, which is also the are rather mass dissemination media which improbable side, for which each subsystem are taken advantage of, among others, by Art strives.11 and Entertainment social subsystems. Luhmann’s definition of the system of mass media is highly controversial. I argue that the Film: Art and/or Entertainment? programs of the mass media cannot be reduced Luhmann defines the function of art as to entertainment, advertisement and news/ follows: reports.