Unveiling Argumentative Strategies: Feminist and Queer Activists' Representations in Iran's Mahsa Amini Protests

The Mahsa Amini protests in Iran provide a backdrop for understanding the complex dynamics of gender, sexuality, and activism within a deeply patriarchal society. This study uses a methodological blend of Discourse -Historical Approach (DHA) and Feminist Discourse Analysis (FDA) to examine the argumentative strategies used to define, describe, and discredit female and queer activists during these protests on Iranian X (former Twitter) space. Benefiting from principals of Discourse- Historical Approach (Reisigl and Wodak 2001, 2015, Reisigl 2014 and Reisigl 2017), this study investigates the historical and sociopolitical contexts that shape the discourse surrounding female activists in the context of the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests in Iran. This study identifies rhetorical strategies used to construct and perpetuate gendered and sexualized narratives by analysing textual data from X. This study seeks to uncover underlying power dynamics and ideological frameworks embedded in the discourse by analysing the linguistic choices, argument structures, and rhetorical devices used. Furthermore, this study builds on feminist discourse analysis to critically examine the intersectional dimensions of gender and sexuality in the context of Iranian activism. By focusing on the experiences and voices of female and queer activists, this study aims to shed light on how their identities are constructed, contested, and marginalized within dominant discourses. Moreover, this study aims to follow those rhetorical strategies through time and dissect how competing political fractions, mainly within anti-regime forces, weaponised the narrative to further their political agenda. This study's findings highlight the prevalence of gendered and sexualized discourses in the contexts of the Mahsa Amini protests. The political ideologies of multiple anti-regime forces tend to profoundly impact their discursive construction of female and queer activists. the monarchist fractions of the opposition routinely discredited and delegitimized in public discourse by using tactics such as “victim blaming”, “slut-shaming”, and “homophobic rhetoric”. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the interplay of state power, religious authority, and patriarchal norms in shaping the representation of activism and dissent. In addition, the study finds similarities between the tactics and narrative of the pro-regime forces and the monarchist anti-regime fractions in their attacks on the more liberal, feminist activists. This study adds to existing scholarship by providing a more nuanced understanding of the complex power dynamics underlying female and queer activism in Iran and illuminates the larger mechanisms of social control and resistance within authoritarian regimes by explaining the argumentative strategies used to define, describe, and disempower these activists. Furthermore, by highlighting the voices of marginalized activists, this study emphasizes the value of intersectional feminist approaches to analysing and challenging dominant discourses.