Sociological Analysis of Child Labour Components in goldman

Subject Areas : Fiction (with literary and artistic features)

Raziye Ghavidast Koohpayeh ¹ , Nozhat Noohi ² , Heydar Hassanlou ³

1 - PhD student, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran.
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan, Iran.

Received: 2023-08-18 Accepted : 2023-12-20 Published : 2024-09-22

Keywords: Bacheha-ye Khak, child labor, sociological critique, identity, sociology of literature,

Abstract :

With its significant impact, a novel can effectively reflect social issues and problems. Child labor is among these issues that have existed in all human societies since ancient times, and the damages and harms caused by it have attracted the attention of many contemporary writers. "Bacheha-ye Khak" (Children of Dust), written by Mohammadreza Yousufi, is a novel that highlights child labor and portrays the dark lives of children who have been enslaved by cruel and exploitative employers on the streets. It serves as a wake-up call for society to take a clear and serious look at this problem. In this context, literary sociology provides an appropriate approach to addressing the pervasive and growing problem of child labor. This research uses a critical and descriptive-analytical approach to examine the sociological components of child labor in this novel and aims to identify and critique the social difficulties based on Goldmann's theory of social critique (1928-2013). The results of this study indicate that various components discussed in the sociology of child labor, such as the lack of proper guardianship, poverty, harassment, and abuse of children, are reflected in the novel along with cultural crisis and abnormalities, economic sociology relating to child exploitation, and problems in the children's work environment. These sociological components are the most prevalent in the novel "Bacheha-ye Khak," and the author, through the use of realistic and repeated depictions, has made them prominent and tangible for the readers.