Sexual Politics in Modern Iran

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

Janet Afary (Author)

9780521727082, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 9 April 2009

444 pages, 53 b/w illus. 1 map
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.7 kg

'… Afary's book should be of interest to anyone who is looking for an in-depth overview of discussions about sex in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Iran, and to those who are interested in understanding the pervasive anxiety about the lack of, and desire for, a set of ideals (consent, intimacy, equality) that constitute the normative ground of much contemporary debate about the history, politics, and gender relations of modern Iran.' Setrag Manoukian, H-Net Reviews (h-net.org/reviews)

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 These observations, and a wealth of historical documents, form the kernel of this book, which charts the history of the nation's sexual revolution from the nineteenth century to today.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.

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.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], Gender studies: women [JFSJ1], Religion & beliefs [HR], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1]