Introduction - A Female Awakening through a Century of TroubleChapter 2 - The Revolutionary Century Through the Eyes and Lives of Women Chapter 3 - Khomeini: The Paradox and Politics of Religion Chapter 4 - Defining and Redefining Activist Women Chapter 5 - Rafsanjani: Road to Reform Chapter 6 - Khatami: The Momentum and Challenge of Reform Chapter 7 - Ahmadinejad: Claim Making and Stagnating ReformConclusion- The Circles of Confrontation, Conciliation and ContraditionBibliographyAcknowledgements
The book examines the growth and development of women's activism in Iran since the 1979 Revolution.
The book examines the growth and development of women's activism in Iran since the 1979 Revolution.
Sanam Vakil is an Adjunct Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Bologna, Italy. She also taught as an assistant professor at SAIS in Washington, D.C., was a researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations and a consultant to the World Bank. Born in Tehran, Iran, Dr. Vakil has published commentaries in many papers, including the Financial Times and the Washington Quarterly. She has consulted on Middle Eastern affairs for BBC, CNN, NPR and ABC.
"This is a fascinating account of the struggle of Iranian women for
rights in the last hundred years, with a strong emphasis on the
ebbs and flows of the last thirty years. A living testament to
Iranian women's relentless quest for equality. A must read." -Haleh
Esfandiari, author of My Prison, My Home: One Woman's Story of
Captivity in Iran
"Women in today's Iran are the main indicators of
socio-political changes. The dynamics of the last three decades in
Iran can be traced through the lives of its women. Since the female
body is a significant subject in Iran's politics, women's history
can also be read as the story of Islamic Republic's failures and
achievements, and, in particular, the unintentional consequences of
its gender policies. Sanam Vakili's book is an analytical and
historical narrative of Iranian women's path toward emancipation
and self-creation, with all its complexity, discontinuity, risks
and rewards. Her well-researched book is a concise, accessible,
comprehensive and eloquent account of the unique struggle for
Iranian women's rights. And finally Vakili's book depicts a
future for Iranian society that is shaped, more than anything else,
by women's self-consciousness and agency. A must-read for all who
are interested in knowing the heart of social dynamism and the
ironic nature of Islamic ideology in post-revolution Iran." -Mehdi
Khalaji; senior fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East
Policy.
"So many authors guess about Iran, but Sanam Vakil knows that
country and its way as precious few other authors do. She
journeyed to that country often, and has returned with a remarkable
book of its women, and of their quest for modernity and
meaning. A first-rate book written with poise and sympathy
and genuine authority." - Fouad Ajami, Professor and director of
Middle East Studies at The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced
International Studies and a Senior Fellow at The Hoover
Institution, Stanford University.
"Dr. Sanam Vakil has written a first-rate and highly perceptive
book about the role and status of women in the Islamic Republican
of Iran. Based on many personal interviews with Iranian officials
and woman activists in Iran, she persuasively argues that women,
far from being passive bystanders, continue to be on the frontline
challenging the Islamic Republic, demanding gender equality, and
pushing the country toward the much-needed political reform. The
book is cogently argued, lucidly written, and thoroughly
researched. It is a must reading for those interested in learning
about the dynamics and nuances of revolutionary Iran. In writing
the book, Dr. Sanam Vakil has established herself as one of the
leading scholars on women's movements in contemporary Iran." -
Mohsen M. Milani, Professor and Chair, Department of Government &
International Affairs, USF.
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