Document Type : Review (Theoretical, Critical & Analytic)
Authors
1
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Social Studies, Institute for Cultural and Social Studies, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of History of Medicine, Faculty of Persian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Suicide in Iran is not merely a public health or psychiatric issue; it is a contested phenomenon shaped at the intersection of cultural values, institutional practices, social narratives, health policies, and moral discourses. This article aims to analyze suicide in Iran through Controversy Analysis, drawing on Bruno Latour’s Actor-Network Theory (ANT). The study adopts a qualitative, interpretive-analytical approach and uses documentary analysis of relevant empirical, theoretical, and policy literature. The findings indicate that suicide remains an unsettled issue in Iran, with multiple networks contesting its definition, explanation, reporting, and governance. The central controversy concerns the tension between Critical Thinking and Caring Thinking. Critical thinking emphasizes statistical data, surveillance systems, and evidence-based policymaking, whereas caring thinking focuses on lived experience, social stigma, cultural meanings, and support networks. The main controversies identified include tensions between statistics and meaning, transparency and protective silence, individual and structural explanations, and standardization and cultural contextualization. Based on these findings, the article proposes an Integrative Network-Based Suicide Prevention Model consisting of three interconnected dimensions: a data and surveillance system, a care and stigma-reduction network, and policy ethics. The model provides a framework for integrating evidence-based and meaning-centered approaches and may contribute to multisectoral, culturally sensitive, and ethically grounded suicide prevention policies in Iran.
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