The Discourse of Islamic–Iranian Progress on Instagram: A Laclau and Mouffe Discourse Analysis of Clerical Narratives

This study aimed to explain how the discourse of Islamic–Iranian progress is articulated in the Instagram narratives of the clergy. The issue is important because the presence of clerics in digital social media is no longer limited to the transmission of religious content, and they participate in constructing narratives about social, cultural, national issues and desirable social values; however, how these concepts are organized within a semantic order has received limited attention. The study used a qualitative approach and Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory and method. The research field included 20 Instagram pages operated by Iranian clerics, and after an examination of 60 posts, 20 posts were selected for analysis. The unit of analysis was the Instagram post as a multimodal semantic formation comprising text, images, videos, and visual signs. Findings showed that signifiers such as people, responsibility, service, participation, accountability, independence, science, identity, and future were articulated within semantic chains. Within this network, “progress” emerged as a nodal point capable of linking semantic chains and organizing social improvement, problem-solving, strengthening national capacities, and preserving identity resources within a shared horizon. This articulation constructed subject positions such as service-oriented actor, advocate, cultural guide, and guardian of collective values for the cleric. Accordingly, the discourse of Islamic–Iranian progress in the narratives studied is multidimensional, encompassing religious, social, national, cultural, and ethical dimensions.