Research - Current International Research Projects
Women’s Question in Iran (SSRC-Assisted)
Parvin Ghorayshi
This project focuses on the making of ‘modern’ Iranian women in post- and pre-revolutionary Iran. Women have been central to the ideological and political discourse of pre- and post-revolutionary Iran. Politics of gender has been the centre of identification with or against the West, and woman’s body has been the site on which such constructions have been made. This hegemonic construction of modern Iranian woman tends to ignore the multi-dimensional, multi-linguistic, and multicultural composition of the country. This study uses qualitative methods and addresses the experiences of women within the context of a diverse population based on class, ethnicity, religion, geography, and other factors. When we take into account multiple factors that contribute to the social diversity among women, we find that, for example, non-Persian women, nomadic women, village women, non-Shi’a women, and different classes of women have quite different life experiences and concerns.