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(UNIVERSITY) Manuscript MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION MOSCOW STATE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (UNIVERSITY) Manuscript KHADEM MAKHSUS HOSSEINI, Leila TRANSFORMATION OF IRANIAN WOMEN’S CULTURAL IDENTITY Specialty: 24.00.01 – Theory and history of culture THESIS For PhD degree in Cultural Studies Scientific supervisor: Elena V. Voevoda, PhD, Doctor Habilitatus (Education) Moscow – 2018 2 CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………… 3 CHAPTER 1. THE INFLUENTIAL FACTORS IN CONSTRUCTING IRANIAN WOMEN'S CULTURAL IDENTITY 14 1.1. The concept of cultural identity in the cultural and philosophical aspects ………………………………………………………………... 14 1.2. A comparative analysis of Judith Butler’s views on identity and Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory……………………................. 46 1.3. The role of Islam in constructing Iranian women's cultural identity ……………………………………………………………….. 57 1.4. Historical changes of social and cultural aspects of Iranian women's life ………………………………………………………….. 79 Chapter 1: Findings ………………………………………………….. 99 CHAPTER 2. MANIFESTATION OF TRADITIONAL AND MODERN CULTURAL IDENTITY OF IRANIAN WOMEN …… 103 2.1. Iranian Women's Cultural Identity Represented in their Bodies… 103 2.2. Veiling and Iranian Women's Cultural Identity ………………. 137 2.3. Iranian women's cultural identity in relation to their work and leisure time …………………………………………………………. 172 Chapter 2: Findings ………………………………………………….. 203 CONCLUSIONS ……………………………………………………….. 205 BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………… 216 3 INTRODUCTION Research relevance. In the modern world, women play an increasingly important role in society: they actively participate in the social, economic, political and cultural life of their communities shaping the new image of their country. The issue of change in western women's role and identity during and after industrialization (referred to as one of the defining properties of modernity by A. Giddens)1, is examined by many scholars throughout the history. It is explored in countless historical books, scientific researches, literary works, movies, etc. However, in contrast to the widespread representation of western women's challenges to question the contexts constructing women's identities, Iranian women's social role is usually veiled by those who, under the influence of western culture and politics, attempt to keep a one-sided perspective of Iranian women as restricted by boundaries of contextual traditions. Contrary to this popular misconception, the role of Iranian women in society has significantly changed in recent decades, which has subsequently caused alterations in their cultural identity. The inevitable influence of western culture (Internet, cinema, satellite TV, social media) provides for the construction of new cultural identity of the consumers of this culture. That includes changes in the life style, the perception of social and gender roles and creation of new social institutions. The early 20th century, along with the movement of constitutionalism in Iran, is a distinctive point in Iranian history when the country experienced notable changes in various areas of economy, politics and culture. Cultural changes included new forms of art, literature, lifestyle and women's dressing. Amid the oppositions of traditional and modern culture, Iranian women, who till then were confined to 1We should see capitalism and industrialism as two distinct…dimensions involved in the institutions of modernity". Giddens A. The Consequences of Modernity. US: Wiley, 2013. p. 64. 4 household affairs and were deprived even of education, swept the borders defined by the traditional culture and, by defying the conventions, started to construct identities beyond the gender roles ascribed to them through the ages. Thus, in line with western women's social enterprise Iranian women's exclusive wife-mother role faded and they began to participate in social affairs. A woman's identity was not handed to her by tradition, rather as a member of society she gradually started to construct her new identity as well as her society. The growing number of women with university education, their desire for social and professional self- realization, along with the preservation of specific features of the traditional Iranian culture, causes the necessity to reassess their social role in the life of the country and acknowledge their new cultural identity. This testifies to the research relevance. Literature Review. Cultural identity in a variety of its aspects has been explored by a number of researchers. A. Kistova studied the social and philosophical foundations of constructing ethnic, cultural and national identity on the basis of ethnographic approach2. A. Chernoded reflects on manifestations of ethnic identity in clothing and fashion3. The role of culture in ethnic and cultural identification is represented in the works of I. Apollonov4 and Yu. Oleinikova5. The impact of cultural identity on the process of socialization of young people is the subject matter of the monograph by K. Sergeeva6. Construction of cultural identity of students is described in the thesis of S. Voroshin7. A number of researchers (S. Turkle8, C.L. Singh9, G. Ruchkina and O. Skorodumova10 and 2Кистова А.В. Конструирование этнокультурной и общенациональной идентичностей на основе этнографического подхода в социальной философии: автореф. дис. ... канд. филос. наук. Красноярск, 2013. 3Чернодед А.Б. Формирование этнической идентичности в дискурсе современной моды (XX-XXI вв.): дис. … канд. культурологии. Саратов, 2018. 4Аполлонов И.А. Идентичность личности в этнокультурном измерении: дис. ... докт. филос. наук, Ростов-на- Дону, 2018. 5Олейникова Ю. В. Культурные репрезентации в структуре этнической идентификации: дис. … канд. социол. наук. М, 2008. 6 Сергеева, К.В. Культурная идентичность как фактор социализации современной российской молодежи. М., 2012. 7Ворошин С.Д. Формирование культурной идентичности студенчества в актуальных социокультурных практиках университетов Южного Урала: дис. … канд. культурологии. М, 2018. 8Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the screen: Identity in the age of the Internet. New York, Simon & Schuster. 5 others) reflect on the impact of information technologies in constructing and reconstructing cultural identity in the age of globalization. Among the recognized experts in the studies of identity are A. Giddens11, author of the structuration theory and J. Butler who developed the theory of gender performativity12. According to J. Butler, identity is constructed by the discourse before the arrival of subject to the scene. However, the subject enjoys agency because the sustainability of discourse depends on reiteration of its norms by the subjects. As the subject performs the imposed roles through time, the performances deviate from the originally intended norms, transforming or subverting the norms. So far, there has been no research studying the transformation of women's cultural identity from the viewpoint of performative theory. Neither is there an exploration of dialectic relationship of women and their social structure based on structuration theory, though there might be a state value amount of researches in the field of Iranian women's studies. In an ethnographical study of Iranian women, an Iranian author, Mahsa Izadinia, depicts Iranian society as absolutely patriarchal one where women, against their dreams and desires, are marginalized and silenced with no choice to construct their true selves.13 In another work, the same author reflects on how Iranian women are oppressed and limited under harsh social and family context.14 In their turn, Gousia Mir and G.N. Khaki write about the changing image of the Iranian woman in the age of globalization15. 9Singh, C. L. (2010). “New media and cultural identity”. China Media Research. 6 (1): 86. 10Ручкина Г.Ф., Скородумова О.Б. Национально-культурная идентичность в контексте становления информационного общества // Научный вестник Московского государственного технического университета гражданской авиации. 2011. № 166. С. 93-97. 11Giddens, Anthony (1991) Modernity and Self-Identity. Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Cambridge : Polity. 12Butler, Judith (1990). Gender trouble: feminism and the subversion of identity. New York: Routledge. 13Izadinai M. Exploring Iranian Women's identity: an ethnographic study. Australian Association for Research in Education, 2013. [Electronic resource]. — Mode of access: https://www.aare.edu.au/publications-database.php/8226/exploring-iranian-womens-identity-an-ethnographic-study 14Izadinia M. In Search of a Lost Identity: Iranian Women and their identity issues. Journal of International Women's studies, 16(2), 2015, pp. 128-140. 15 Khaki G.N., Mir, G. (2015) Globalization and Post-Islamic Revolution: a Changing Iranian Woman. Journal of Globalization Studies. No. 1, Vol. 6, pp. 74-90. 6 A research, reflecting on Iranian women's identity in two phases of traditional and modern society, represents an Iranian women's individual, scientific and socio-cultural aspects of identity, attempting to resolve the challenges of opposing views and refers to the features of women illustrated in the works of contemporary female poets.16 A. Najmabadi, an Iranian professor of history and gender studies, has reviewed Iranian modern history through the perspective of gender studies and demonstrated that Iranian modern culture and political system are shaped with the focus on gender centrality. The author also considers Iranian feminism in the country's contemporary culture.17 The same author edits and contributes
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