Abstract: In Flanders-Belgium, a Belgo-Iranian politician has gained nation-wide attention for her critique of Islam. Safai’s political discourses are built around her opposition to the violation of women’s rights in Iran, and to the hijab as a political-patriarchal symbol. Through this latter opposition, she has gained prominence among Flemish nationalists. The emphasis in Safai’s discourses […]
Abstract: There is a general silence in research when it comes to the embodied experiences of older women. Older women are especially excluded from studies on beauty and embodiment because their age is perceived as a factor that makes their experience irrelevant. Older women also seldom occupy the position of the agentic subjects. This study […]
Abstract: Religion can be a source of both pressure and empowerment for mothers. It is sometimes speculated that Muslims have more negative attitudes toward childlessness, as Islam values and encourages procreation. Islam also has associated Muslim women’s social position with motherhood. Motherhood is frequently mentioned in connection to birth-giving, breastfeeding, and caring for the children […]
Abstract: Women’s position, identity, and value in Islam have been affected by androcentric interpretations of the Qur’an and hadith throughout Islamic history. Women’s roles in society, as well as their position vis-à-vis Islamic sources and authority, have been shaped by these interpretations. In Shi’a Islam, due to the majority male clergy’s resistance, women have rarely […]
Abstract: This article explores perceptions of Iranian academics of the relationship between women’s physical appearance and academic achievements. The research is conducted using interviews with academics working in different universities in the field of social sciences. Results included individual and structural explanations of the relationship between women’s physical appearance and academic achievements. Data showed a […]
Abstract: The Safavid dynasty ruled Persia between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries and is known as a turning period in the political, social, and religious trajectories of Persian history. The ethnographic literature about the Persian culture in the period, written by Western travelers is an indication of the forming relations between the West and the […]
I am often asked about Iran and the lives of Iranian women, especially why they are overeducated when compared to Iranian men. Seems to me that what surprises people (mostly in the West) about women’s situation in Iran, is not because the facts are so fabulous or astonishing per se; it is more because they […]
In the past few days, there have been massive demonstrations and protests in Iran (incl. my hometown(s)) that have been perceived as ‘anti-regime’ protests by many worldwide. I come from different ethnic and lingual backgrounds, and I have connections in the capital, as well as the provinces where these protests have been taking place. I […]
I had discussed elsewhere that in contemporary Iranian society, sexuality is regulated by traditional cultural restrictions, prohibitions, taboos, and indirect regulations due to the country’s traditional and highly religious culture. The traditional restrictions on cross-sex associations are one of the many limitations that regulate the relationship between the sexes. Studies of sexuality in the context […]
Beauty and body management are important aspects of women’s everyday life in Iran (as I imagine in many other contexts). The phenomenon of cosmetic surgeries especially has been alarmingly growing in the past few decades. The cosmetic market is saturated with ads featuring tiny and ‘corrected’ noses. The medical industry seems to be welcoming the […]