Tahqiqāt-e Tārikh-e Ejtemā’i (Social History Studies)

Representation of Rural Women in Pahlavi Period Fiction: Dominant Discourse of Stereotypes and Overlooked Realities

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Elham Malekzadeh 1
Seyyedeh Fahimeh Mousavi 2

1 Associate Professor, Institute of History, Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran

2 Master of Sociology,Department of Sociology, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30465/shc.2026.53854.2675
Abstract
This article examines the representation of rural women in Iranian fiction during the Pahlavi period and the discursive transformations that occurred. In the literature of this period, rural women are often portrayed within stereotypical frameworks and specific gender roles, positioning them as the ’Other’ on the margins. The main issue addressed in this article is how rural women were represented in the fictional works of the Pahlavi era. Did the traditional representation change due to modern cultural and social transformations? And to what extent was this change influenced by the dominant male gaze? How were these representations used as a tool for the objectification of rural women? This research employs Foucauldian discourse analysis to investigate how the subject of rural women was produced and utilizes qualitative analysis of Pahlavi period stories to explore discursive shifts and their role in shaping the image of rural women. The primary source for this study is the fictional works of the Pahlavi period. It seems that despite cultural and social changes regarding Iranian women during the Pahlavi era, the image of rural women continued to be reproduced within stereotypes and under the influence of the dominant male discourses.

Keywords

Rural women
Fiction
Pahlavi period
discourse analysis
gender stereotypes
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 26 December 2025
  • Revise Date 23 April 2026
  • Accept Date 02 June 2026

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