The positionality of Iranian women in the modern period has been shaped by the intricate interplay of political, religious, and external factors. According to Afsaneh Najmabadi in Veiled Discourse-Unveiled Bodies, increased travel and interactions between Iran and Europe in the early 19th century introduced new forms of expression, including political and moral essays, poems, plays, and novels. These works grappled with themes of modernity and tradition, placing the “woman question” at the center of both modernist and Islamist discourses.

For modernists, the absence of women in public life and the silence of their voices in print symbolized a pre-modern era in need of reform. They envisioned modernity as a process of unveiling—both in terms of women’s public presence and their contributions to intellectual discourse. This approach sought to reframe Iranian womanhood as an active and visible component of a modern nation.

Islamists, in contrast, viewed the unveiling of women as a loss of Islamic identity. Najmabadi highlights that the veil became a powerful marker of religious identity, with its removal interpreted as a threat to the community's spiritual and cultural integrity. Within Islamist discourse, the transformation of the “woman question” into a religious issue positioned women as symbols of resistance against the encroachment of secular modernity.

Najmabadi argues that the “woman of modernity” was constructed through the discipline of her body and the acquisition of scientific sensibilities, creating a new feminine ideal that replaced traditional superstitions with knowledge and rationality. The growth of new educational institutions for girls and the expansion of women’s access to the press were pivotal in enabling this transformation. These developments opened spaces for Iranian women to reimagine their roles and expressions, challenging traditional norms through a focus on science, nation, and homeland. This shift allowed women to reshape their identity and assert their presence in public and intellectual spheres.

In conclusion, the positionality of Iranian women during the modern period reflects a complex negotiation between modernist ideals, Islamic resistance, European influence, and educational reform. These interconnected factors profoundly transformed women’s roles in society and their public presence, contributing to the multifaceted identities we observe today.

References
Najmabadi, Afsaneh. Veiled Discourse-Unveiled Bodies. Feminist Studies 19, no. 3 (1993): 487–518.