Sexual Politics in Modern Iran (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: sigheh wife, nekah marriage, modern gay lifestyle, Islamic Republic, Reza Shah, Constitutional Revolution (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Janet Afary's Sexual Politics in Modern Iran... meticulously details the historical evolution of gender and sexuality, and of the roles and customs of women and same-sexers, from pre-modern Persia (500 to 1500 A.D.) right through the sexual revolution that began in Iran seven decades ago.... Sexual Politics in Modern Iran is an invaluable landmark, a signpost on the road to an end of gender discrimination and sexual liberation for all." - In These Times

"The East-West battle over gender is brilliantly described by Janet Afary in her groundbreaking survey Sexual Politics in Modern Iran." - The New York Review Of Books

"Afary does a spectacular job explaining, as well as detailing, sexual attitudes and practices from the 19th to the 21st century. Her account gives an excellent feel for how Iranian society works and how that has changed under the impact of modern times. Plus, her detailed research makes the account much more credible than some of the highly readable stories from Iranian-Americans about personal life in modern Iran." - Foreign Policy

Product Description

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 These observations, and a wealth of historical documents, form the kernel of this book, which charts the history of the nation's sexual revolution from the nineteenth century to today.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

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Product Details

• Paperback: 442 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (April 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521727081
• ISBN-13: 978-0521727082
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #315,661 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Iranian Society You Never Knew, June 4, 2009

By	T. Rahimi (Los Angele, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thoroughly researched and meticulously presented, Janet Afary's book uses the prism of gender segregation to take the reader through one and a half centuries in the lives of Iranian men and women. From the mid-19th century to the present, you walk through the streets and alleys, listening to under-aged girls being given away to pre-arranged husbands, to women who will see their husband's new legal wife coming home, to harems of the elite and wealthy bursting with wives, concubines and boys. Yet, you also see how under such horrific repression, Iranian women resisted, survived and even prospered.

The story of women who have been oppressed for centuries and their male oppressors is one of immense importance and a possible cause for Iran's problems. Half of the population's creative energies was held back and kept in lock and chain, while the other half's creativity was mostly spent on devising schemes and institutions to keep them so.

In this sex-obsessed society, you're either enjoying sex or providing it, as all else seems to work within this concept. While imperial powers were increasing their influences in Iran, with the British in the South and the Russians in the North, the Qajar kings, princes and the rest of the elite were busy with their sexual politics.

Reading this book - shocking mostly but always enlightening - could be the first step in addressing the dysfunctional norms of Iranian society. I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in understanding current issues in Iran - as well as possible solutions.