Table of Contents

Part I. Pre-modern Practices: 1. Formal marriage; 2. Slave concubinage, temporary marriage, and harem wives; 3. Class, status-defined homosexuality, and rituals of courtship; Part II. Toward a Westernized Modernity: 4. On the road to an ethos of monogamous, heterosexual marriage; 5. Redefining purity, unveiling bodies, shifting desires; 6. Imperialist politics, romantic love, and the impasse over women's suffrage; 7. Suffrage, marriage reforms, and the threat of female sexuality; 8. The rise of leftist guerrilla organizations and Islamism; Part III. Forging an Islamist Modernity and Beyond: 9. The Islamic revolution, its sexual economy, and the Left; 10. Islamist women and the emergence of Islamic feminism; 11. Birth control, female sexual awakening, and the gay lifestyle; Conclusion: toward a new Muslim-Iranian sexuality for the twenty-first century.

Promotional Information

This book charts the history of Iran's sexual revolution from the nineteenth century to today.

About the Author

Janet Afary is Professor of History and Women's Studies in the Department of History at Purdue University. Her previous publications include The Iranian Constitutional Revolution: Grassroots Democracy, Social Democracy, and the Origins of Feminism (1996) and, with Kevin Anderson, the award-winning Foucault and the Iranian Revolution: Gender and the Seductions of Islamism (2005).

Reviews

' ... the work is seminal and extraordinary. Janet Afary has raised a high bar on the many, many issues surrounding the politics of gender and sexuality in Iran.' Thomas Ricks, Professor of Modern Iranian History 'Janet Afary takes us beyond gender politics into a world few outsiders understand. Once again she proves herself to be an astute and original observer who sees beneath the veneer of modern Iranian life.' Stephen Kinzer, New York Times 'The narratives and anecdotes provide a vivid real-life texture to the history Janet Afary is uncovering. In short, the text is alive and engaging!' Miriam Cooke, Professor of Middle East Women's Studies, Duke University 'Sexual Politics in Modern Iran is one of the most comprehensive works done on this topic up to this moment. It combines modern scholarship and a deep understanding of the gender issues in Iran.' Farhad Khosrokhavar, Le Monde 'Janet Afary's remarkable book gives an unparalleled account and analysis of changing gender relations in modern Iran's history and society ... a unique and thoughtful work that sheds new light on Iran today.' Nikki Keddie, Professor of Iranian Studies, UCLA