Forthcoming Articles
Forced Empathy and the Geopolitics of Memory in Bahman Ghobadi’s Films
Cite this article
(2024). Forced Empathy and the Geopolitics of Memory in Bahman Ghobadi’s Films. In Cinema Iranica. Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation https://cinema.iranicaonline.org/article/forced-empathy-and-the-geopolitics-of-memory-in-bahman-ghobadis-films/
. "Forced Empathy and the Geopolitics of Memory in Bahman Ghobadi’s Films." Cinema Iranica, Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation, 2024. https://cinema.iranicaonline.org/article/forced-empathy-and-the-geopolitics-of-memory-in-bahman-ghobadis-films/
(2024). Forced Empathy and the Geopolitics of Memory in Bahman Ghobadi’s Films. In Cinema Iranica. Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation. Available from: https://cinema.iranicaonline.org/article/forced-empathy-and-the-geopolitics-of-memory-in-bahman-ghobadis-films/ [Accessed November 20, 2024].
. "Forced Empathy and the Geopolitics of Memory in Bahman Ghobadi’s Films." In Cinema Iranica, (Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation, 2024) https://cinema.iranicaonline.org/article/forced-empathy-and-the-geopolitics-of-memory-in-bahman-ghobadis-films/
Bahman Ghobadi’s films intricately weave the geopolitics of Kurdistan with the collective memory of the Kurds, using cinematic techniques to generate empathy. This paper explores how the land in Ghobadi’s films is framed to evoke empathy as a necessary, passive, and forced condition for identifying (with) the Kurds. Supported by tragic narratives, the agony of the characters, and a sentimental soundtrack, Ghobadi’s framings compel the audience to empathize with the harsh terrain and seasons, translating them into the bodily pain and struggles depicted on screen. Through the lens of haptic visuality theory, this paper explores the geopolitics of memory in relation with generating a constant empathy-inducing aesthetic in Ghobadi’s films.
