Sexual Politics in Modern Iran

by Janet Afary

Janet Afary is a native of Iran and a leading historian. Her work focuses on gender and sexuality and draws on her experience of growing up in Iran and her involvement with Iranian women of different ages and social strata. These observations, and a wealth of historical documents, form the kernel of this book, which charts the history of the nation's sexual revolution from the nineteenth century to today. What comes across is the extraordinary resilience of the Iranian people, who have drawn on a rich social and cultural heritage to defy the repression and hardship of the Islamist state and its predecessors. It is this resilience, the author concludes, which forms the basis of a sexual revolution taking place in Iran today, one that is promoting reforms in marriage and family laws, and demanding more egalitarian gender and sexual relations.

Genres: Iran, Islam, Religion, Gender Studies, Politics, Nonfiction, Feminism

446 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2009

Reviews

[Iman Saad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent primer for understanding feminist and sexual politics in Iran. Afray provides a great account of the history of sexuality and the policing of women's bodies It is a good compilation of the country's history and social background. This is great for beginners looking to learn more about Iran's politics regarding sexuality and women.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good coverage of a broad range of topics related to sex and gender in Iran from the Qajar period to the present day. Fascinating images and anecdotes from original material. This is a unique book densely packed with historical detail.

[Bobbi]

DNF before halfway. It was well-researched, but it wasn't meant to be read through for pleasure.

[Hamid Akbary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rich book full of historical analysis on the sexual politics of Iran from the turn of the 20th century. Afary touches upon variety of gender related issues in Iran. The big advantage one can get out of reading this book is that s/he will be introduced to almost every circumstance under which women lived and have been living in Iran. The impression I got was that the facts she points out to exist in other Middle Eastern countries too - some in similar forms but some in different. The only problem is that Afary doesn't use many sources to prove her arguments. She sounds like all she wants is to prove her arguments and for that she has used her few favorite references. Highly recommend it to those interested in reading the relationship between gender and politics in Iran from a historical perspective.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iran has, along with China, one of the few ancient cultures which has, by in large, preserved and maintained its territorial integrity. Given the geopolitical environment, Iran, like much of the Middle East, has an isolationist stance. Unfortunately, despite the enormous hospitality and trendy cosmopolitan attitudes of the urban youth, sexuality in Iran is repressed greatly. Families, particularly mothers, have overwhelming influence over the decisions on who their children marry. Virginity, especially for females, is prized above all. Iranian culture is an amalgamation of Zoroastrianism and Islam and this is important, as is the demographic and economic situation, in sexual expression. There are many unique aspects to Iranian society and it is full of contradictions. I recommend this book to gain insight into this wonderful yet complicated land and people.

[Hafsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Janet Afary describes the evolution of sexuality in Iran as well as the struggle for women’s equal rights from the nineteenth-century to the present day. Although monumental in terms of the time span and overview she is able to provide, it is situated within the historiography of gender and sexuality in Muslim societies in terms of her sources, her discussion of women’s resistance and agency, and her discussion of the role of the West and Islamism.

[Brian Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Afary gives a masterful, entertaining overview of social change in Iran over the past 200-or-so years. She explores all things related to sex, family values, personal relationships, and codes of law. She traces the evolution of both consciousness and hypocrisy, for example the modern shifts in attitude towards homosexuality, where traditional acceptance of homoerotic love (as commonly extolled by Sufi poets) shifted towards official intolerance in a “Protestantized” version of Islamic morality. The shifting culture wars are well-illustrated with personal anecdotes from hundreds of people plus numerous photos and cartoons from the periods concerned. I thought the writing was best for eras prior to the 1980s. For the decades after that, Afary is more in summarizing mode, reporting political battles over women’s rights mainly in terms of policy changes imposed or reformed. Even so, the account of how the Islamic Republic became heavily (and successfully) involved in promoting birth control and sex education gets fascinating. I like how Afary dedicates the book and ends it with an account of the One Million Signatures Campaign, which the government shut down later in 2009, but remains a pervasive force for equitable sexuality.

[Golnaz Jamsheed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me in awe. The sheer amount of information and the depth of research are remarkable. What makes it especially fascinating is the way the narrative bridges history, politics, and culture. This is not just a social and cultural history book, it’s an essential map of how sexual politics have evolved across regimes and generations. For anyone interested in modern Iran, feminism, or cultural history, it’s a rigorous, wide-ranging, and indispensable work.