Discursive perspective on constructing the concept of marriage in pre- revolutionary Iran with emphasis on constructing ideal woman

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 دانشگاه باقر العلوم قم

2 دانشگاه ادیان و مذاهب

Abstract

The process of modernization and the resulting feminist social activities during the Pahlavi period in Iran (1941-1979) were confronted with the clerical thoughts and religious intellectualism. In this paper, the writers have selected four books on marriage written before the 1979 Islamic revolution and adopted a discourse analytical approach to identify the discourses on marriage and the features of an ideal woman for marriage at that time. The paper also is to answer the question whether socio-cultural changes of the time affected the discourses on marriage or not. To study the texts, Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory (1985) and the discourse semiotics methodology developed by Soltani (2013) were used as the theoretical framework. The findings show that the Islamic and religious discourse on marriage is rooted in an essentialist view of the concept of marriage and have considered “reproduction” as of one of the important goals of marriage. In addition, this discourse assumes an ideal woman for marriage to be self-controlled, sensitive and emotional, satisfier of men’s sexual needs, and a dedicated mother. Furthermore, the public discourse on marriage is also based on an essentialist view of marriage and characterizes an ideal woman as beautiful, dignified and a boss at home. Both of the discourses were heavily under the influence of the Islamic discourse and clerical thoughts common at that time in Iran.

Keywords


-Abaszade, M & Nikdel, N. (2017). Field of  underlying background of delay in marriage with a phenomenological descriptive approach. Journal of woman in culture and art. Winter, 8, 4, 493- 516. [in Persian] 
-Ahmadi, O. (2011). Family challenges review, in the field of bottleneck and delay of marriage in Iran/ Supreme council for cultural revolution. Tehran. Rahdan. [in Persian]  
-Ahmadi khorasani, N & Ardalan, P. (2004). Senator (Mehrangiz Manuchehrian activities  in the context of women´s lagal campaign in Iran). Tehran. Towse´e. [in Persian] 
-Amini, E. (2011, first edition 1976). Conjugal life. Ghom. Bostane ketab. [in Persian]
-Ali Mohammadi, T & Zargush, A. (2010). Analyze the legitimacy of customary marriage from the Sunni perspective, consequences and it's challenges. Journal of women and family studies. winter 4, 94- 18. [in Persian]
-Bhatia, V  Et al (editor), Advances in discourse studies. Rutledge. New York; 2008
-Eshaghi, H. (2007 first edition 1976). Feminism. Tehran. center of  IRIB Islamic broadcasting researches. [in Persian]
-Faramarzi, F. (2013). Religion in Second Pahlavi era Iran. Tehran. Elm. [in Persian]
-Fairclough, Norman (2003). Analyzing Discourse: Textual analysis for social research. New York. Routledge.
-Ghaemi, A. (1977). Family formation in Islam, offset print. [in Persian]
-Ghajari, H & Nazari. J. (2014). Usage of Discourse analysis in social researches, Tehran, Jameeshenasan. [in Persian]
-Ghavam, S A & Asadi, M (2015). A comparative study of the position of women in various discourses of contemporary history of Iran. Journal of cross- cultural studies. Winter, 23, 9- 42. [in Persian]
-Gholamzade jefre, M. (2016). Purposefulness comparison of marriage functions in satisfied and dissatisfied married people and investigation of its relation to vitality, PhD thesis, unpublished. Allame Tabatabaee university. [in Persian]
-Hakimpur, Mohamad. (2006). women´s rights in the struggle tradition and modernity, Tehran, naghme noandish. [in Persian]
-Hejazi, Gh. (1980, first edition 1967). Marriage in Islam. Tehran. Journal of Ghodsi legal research center. [in Persian]
-Hejazi, Gh. (1979, first edition no date). Woman value or woman in judicial and social. Ferdousi Printing office. [in Persian]
-Jahanbakhsh, F. (2005). Islam, Democracy and religious modernism from Sorush. (Translation by Parvin Jalili). Tehran. Gaameno. [in Persian]
- Jorgensen, M & Phillips, L. (2011). Discourse analysis as theory and method. (translation by Hadi Jalili). Tehran. Ney. [in Persian]
-Karimian, N & Zarei, A. (2016). Qualitative study of the women situation of cohabitation relationship with the opposite sex. Scientific research journal of woman and society. Summer, 7,2, 39- 67. [in Persian]
-Khalaj Abadi Farahani, F & Shojaee, J. (2013). Attitude of Tehran university students on the impact of association with the opposite sex before marriage in marital satisfaction. Journal of strategic studies of women. autumn, 16, 61, 149- 188. [in Persian]
-Khalegh Panah, K & Habibi, F. discourse theory as methodology of cultural studies in Mirzaee, H. (2014). An introduction of cultural studies. Tehran. institute of cultural and social studies. [in Persian]
-Kosari, M Et al. (2017). Emam Khomeini and The construction of women's identity in the Islamic Revolution: how to deconstruction second Pahlavi discourse and semantic hegemony of Emam Khomeini. Women in development and politics. Autumn, 15, 3, 327-357. [in Persian] 
-Lakzaee, N. (2003). Ayatollah Motahari political thought. Ghom. Bostane ketab. [in Persian]
-   Lakzaee, N. (2012). Political- social changes of contemporary Iran. Ghom. Eslamic science and culture institute. [in Persian]
-Mahbubi Manesh, H. (2005). Social changes of marriage. Journal of strategic studies of women. Winter, 26, 172- 202. [in Persian] 
-Mohammadi, M. (2010). Challenges of tradition and modernity in Iran. Tehran. research deputy of Azad eslamic university. [in Persian]
-Mohammadi, R. (2017). Exploring the life experience of sacrifice in long term marriage: a descriptive phenomenological study. PhD thesis, Unpublished university. Chamran university. [in Persian] 
-Molla Abasi, M & Hazeri, A M. (2016). The position of the concept of nature in the social- religious conflicts of the second Pahlavi period. Journal of social theories of Muslim thinkers. Spring and summer, 6, 1, 57- 79.
-Motahari, M. (2013, first edition 1975). Women´s rights system in Islam.Tehran. Sadra. [in Persian] 
-Naseri, E. (1978). Marriage psychology. Tehran. Naseri. [in Persian]
-Pezeshgi, M. (2011). Formation women´s studies in Islam world. Qhom. Science and Islamic culture institute. [in Persian]
-Serajzade, H Et al. (2012). Clean community discourse: deconstructing the politics of the female body display in the Pahlavi period. Cultural studies and communications. Spring, 26, 27- 50. [in Persian] 
-Shamsi, A & Nasiri. A (2017). Cultural- intellectual processology of feminism in contemporary Iran. Ghom. Imam Sadegh Islamic science institute. [in Persian]
-Shojaee bidvaz, M. (2010). The role of Quranic teaching in the sustainability on marriage with emphasis on votes Allame Tabatabaee and Ayatollah Javadi Amoli. M.A Thesis, unpublished. University Science and education of Quran. [in Persian]   
-Sohrab, E. (1971). Marriage on the brink of science. Esfahan. Taeed. [in Persian]
-Soltani, A. (2006). Power, discourse and language: power flow mechanism in Islamic republic of Iran. Tehran. Ney [in Persian]  
-Soltani, A. (2015). Discourse semantics of one «separation», Sociological studies, 21, 2, 43- 72. [in Persian]
-Sorahi, H & Ojaghlu. S (2013). A generational study of marriage change in Iran.  Journal of Iranian social development studies. Autumn, 5, 4, 19- 41. [in Persian] 
-Usefi Eshkevari, H (2001). Shariati and criticism of tradition. Tehran. Yadavaran. [in Persian]  
-Virtualinstitude.ir/post/278