News Science

News Science

Persuasive Techniques in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh: With an Emphasis on the Position of Piran Weise in the Turanian World

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Meisam Yousefi 1
Seyed Mohsen Banihashemi 2
Yousef Khojir 3
Fateme Azizabadi 4
1 Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Management and Economics, Faculty of Management and Economics, University of Science and Research, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: m.yousefi@soore.ac.ir
2 Corresponding author, Associate Professor, Department of Culture and communication, Faculty of Culture and communication, University of Soore, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: mohsen.bani@soore.ac.ir
3 Associate Professor, Department of Culture and communication, Faculty of Culture and communication, University of Soore, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: khojir@soore.ac.ir
4 Associate Professor, Department of Management and Economics, Faculty of Management and Economics, University of Science and Research, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: f-azizabadi@srbiau.ac.ir
10.22034/lrsi.2026.492499.1289
Abstract
Objective: The 'Shahnameh', Ferdowsi's immortal masterpiece, is undoubtedly one of the principal sources of Iranian national and cultural identity. It must be acknowledged that although valuable research has been conducted on this seminal work in fields such as literature and related disciplines, the Shahnameh remains an underexplored resource within the domain of media studies. Among its hitherto unexamined dimensions are the methods and techniques of persuasion employed within this epic text. In contemporary communication studies, persuasive communication constitutes a significant component of human interaction, giving rise to various theoretical frameworks and a diverse array of strategies designed to achieve audience persuasion.
Method: This study employs a descriptive-analytical method, introducing the fundamental concepts of persuasion while focusing specifically on the cognitive dissonance model, McGuire and Papageorgis's six-stage model, and inoculation theory. Utilizing this framework, the research analyzes and examines the persuasive strategies of Piran Weise - the greatest and wisest warrior of the Turanian world - across three distinct narrative episodes: (1) Piran as mediator in the preservation of Siavash's life, (2) Piran as mediator in the safeguarding of Keykhosro's life, and (3) Piran as mediator in the rescue of Bijan.
Results: The findings indicate that in the first and second episodes, Piran Weise employs the cognitive dissonance model alongside techniques such as highlighting, rivaling, repeated citation, testifying, and attesting, with the aim of instilling new beliefs in Afrasiab and subsequently altering his attitudes toward Siavash and Keykhosro. Furthermore, in the third episode - Piran's mediation in the rescue of Bijan - the analysis reveals that Piran, drawing upon McGuire and Papageorgis's six-stage model (inoculation theory), utilizes techniques including fear induction, mobilization of prior background knowledge, deployment of appropriate tools, and expressions of intention and benevolence. These strategies effectively disrupt Afrasiab's established beliefs and precipitate a transformation in his attitudes.
Conclusions: Moreover, techniques such as creating competition, negotiation, positional placement, and discrimination emerge as novel contributions of this article, which may be categorized within the broader repertoire of persuasive techniques.
Keywords
Persuasion Techniques
Cognitive Dissonance
Shahnameh
Ferdowsi
Piran Weise
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