This study investigates how Saudi National Identity (SNI) is performed through citizen-authored multimodal texts commemorating the 94th Saudi National Day. It introduces the Multimodal Hermeneutic-Cultural Discourse (MHCD) Model—a novel triadic framework integrating Cultural Discourse Studies (CuDS), visual grammar, and philosophical hermeneutics—to analyze how meaning emerges across visual and verbal modes. Fifteen image-caption pairs were purposively selected and examined across five thematic domains: heritage and ancestral continuity, gendered kinship and relational identity, faith and moral vision, unity and national power, and youth and futurity. Visual features such as traditional dress, ritual gestures, spatial icons, and collective presence express cultural memory as embodied practice. Verbal texts reinforce belonging through speech acts that commemorate ancestry, affirm shared values, and project futurity—evident in expressions like “our roots,” “for God and the nation,” and “the future is in our hands.” The hermeneutic synthesis reveals that meaning is not inherent in image or text alone, but arises through their dialogic convergence. Findings demonstrate that Saudi identity is actively performed through multimodal composition as a lived, ethical, and future-oriented discourse. This study contributes to multimodal discourse analysis by offering a culturally grounded model for interpreting vernacular nationalism and highlights the expressive agency of ordinary citizens in shaping national belonging through symbolic participation.
Alqurashi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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