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Contemporary Iranian Feminism: the Iranian Women's Movement From Contemporary Iranian Feminism: The Iranian Women’s Movement from the Secular Feminist Perspective of Noushin Ahmadi-Khorasani Roya Sahraei A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts School of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences March 2016 THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet •·.·-· Surname or Family name: Sahraie First name; Roya f-. Other name/s: Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: Master of Art School: School of Humanities & Languages Faculty: Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences Title: Contemporary Iranian Feminism:The Iranian Women's Movement from the Secular Feminist Perspective of Noushin Ahmadi-Khorasani Abstract This study analyzes the contemporary Iranian women's movement in Iran, focusing on different standpoints amongst women's rights activists. The study sheds light on the vigour and effectiveness of the Iranian women's movement in recent years, and on some of its major participants. My focus is on secular feminist activities and literature, particularly by Noushin Ahmadi-Khorasani, a prominent feminist activist, journalist and unaffiliated scholar in Iran. The thesis reveals the importance of Iran's secular feminists, and the key role they have been playing in promoting women's rights and activism. Also revealed, however, is how meaningful change for Iranian women will most likely occur through effective collaboration between secularist and Islamic feminists. By the latter I mean women activists who seek reform within the framework of Islam, who do fight for women's rights whether or not they would describe themselves as 'feminists'. One cannot underestimate the contributions of Islamic feminists, as welL and their capaci1y for further achievements in the pursuit of change for women. In the last two chapters I discuss recent instances of effective collaboration between secularist and Islamic feminists. Further cooperation between them will doubtless be necessary to bring about real progress toward equal rights. Without the determination and leadership already shown by secularists, however, little is likely to be achieved ' To g'!in a solid understanding of the Iranian women's movement, one must consider the role of both types of activist. Rather than focusing on Islamic activists alone as the western media superficially tends to do, as if they were the epicentre of women's activism in Iran, we should recognize that secularists constitute a significant I section of the women's movement. Iran may be an Islamic state, even a radical Islamist one since the revolution i of 1979, but its contemporary women's movement nevertheless has had a strongly secular cast to it. To build ! transnationa1 solidarity, it is crucial that feminist scholars and activists in the West develop a more informed understanding of the complex nature of movements for women's rights elsewhere. I hope to contribute to such an understanding through this study, which is original not only in its focus on very recent developments in Iran but also in drawing on an array of original source materials in Persian, including books, articles and also documents available from Iranian feminist web sites. It must be understood, however, that all material published ·in Iran is subject to interference or censorship by the government. The thesis analyZes three significant campaigns of the recent women's movement in all of which Noushin Ahmadi-J(ho.ra5ani played an important role: the One Million Signatures Campaign of 2006; the Women's Coalition aga\nst the Family Protection Bill of 2009; and the-Movement to Consolidate Women's Demands in the 2009 -presidential election. Analysis of these campaigns and alliances enables us to understand women's situatieirl h{conteinporary Iran; to. assess. women's demands for reform; to acknowledge the breadth of Iran fe~inism; arid alSo to appreciate the daily challenges faced'especiallv by secular women's rights activists. "D(!claration relatihg to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hEn:~~~-~g~;~~nt~t~-~~~-e-.unive;s,!ty-Of NeW South Wa_les Or itS-agents ~h~ riQht to a~hive and to make available my thesis or Clissertation in whole or in . P.arfin _th~(_q~i~e~ijy librarij;!s:in .all form_S Qf media, riow or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. 1 retain all proper~;t"..tig,h,fS; -~~-~t(·a.~. p~~~ritrights. _I als·o retain t_he righfto Lise in_ f~ture works (such as articles or books} all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I iills~ ~~H§~~~i·::Y~J~~:~i:~ ~~-c~fi-~;s-to_ u~e f·he ~50 Word .abstra~t ~f rOy thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicabh{to doctoral theses ~nl~;~(' j~; '; ;; .. ·. <. .· · ... · · . ·:.-;;;.-_ .__,··-:-· \. < ·"._.// ·-.(. .-;.: ; • •• ·.,·:·:·. ',;; •./. ~-:.• ,:: • ;•, .:. : ....- • • : • ......................... !. .. ............................................. .. •. · ·.- . .'· ... _Signature_- . Witness Signature Date The Uiliv~rs_lty -~eCo~n.is!3s that there may ~e exception~/ circumstances reguiring restrictions on copying ~r conditions on use. Requests for restric;:tiop .f'2r. 8-peri~d ~f up to_2 year~ must be ma~e in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and r6ai.Jire the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research . .. ~ t : FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: '·····!. :··· ~HIS SHEET IS TO BE GLUED TO THE INSIDE FRONT COVER OF THE THESIS COPYRIGHT STATEMENT 'I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the rtght to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprtetary rtghts, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restrtction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.' Signed Date AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT 'I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor vartations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.' Signed Date UNSW Statement ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed …………………………………………….............. Date …………………………………………….............. ii Table of Contents UNSW Statement ii Table of Contents iii Acknowledgments iv Abstract v Preface vi Introduction 1 Chapter One: Iranian Women’s Struggles before the 1979 Revolution 11 Chapter Two: The Legal and Social Status of Women after 1979 26 Chapter Three: The One Million Signatures Campaign of 2006 46 Chapter Four: The Two Coalitions of Women in 2007 and 2009 67 Conclusion 81 Bibliography 84 iii Acknowledgements I would first like to thank my thesis supervisors in the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales: Dr Helene Bowen Raddeker of Women’s and Gender Studies in the School of Humanities & Languages and Dr Helen Pringle in the School of Social Sciences. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. Thank you. I must express my very profound gratitude to my husband Morteza Ershadi and my friends, especially Catherine Netherton, for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis. And finally I would like to dedicate this thesis to Noushin Ahmadi-Khorasani for the inspiration she has been to many women through her life’s passion to bring about positive changes in the situation of women in Iran. iv Abstract This study analyzes the contemporary Iranian women’s movement in Iran, focusing on different standpoints amongst women’s rights activists. The study sheds light on the vigour and effectiveness of the Iranian women’s movement in recent years, and on some of its major participants. My focus is on secular feminist activities and literature, particularly by Noushin Ahmadi-Khorasani, a prominent feminist activist, journalist and unaffiliated scholar in Iran. The thesis reveals the importance of Iran’s secular feminists, and the key role they have been playing in promoting women‘s rights and activism. Also revealed, however, is how meaningful change for Iranian women will most likely occur through effective collaboration between secularist and Islamic feminists. By the latter I mean women activists who seek reform within the framework of Islam, who do fight for women’s rights whether or not they would describe themselves as ‘feminists’. One cannot underestimate the contributions of Islamic feminists, as well, and their capacity for further achievements in the pursuit of change for women. In the last two chapters I discuss recent instances of effective collaboration between secularist and Islamic feminists.
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