Current histories of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1905-1909) frequently begin with the bastinado of three Tehrani merchants, on 11 December 1905, upon the orders of Tehran's governor.... Show moreCurrent histories of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution (1905-1909) frequently begin with the bastinado of three Tehrani merchants, on 11 December 1905, upon the orders of Tehran's governor. This incident, we are told, led the two leading Tehran clerics to stage a sit-in protest, demanding dismissal of the governor and the premier, as well as calling for the institution of a House of Justice. Some months later, two men of religion were killed when government soldiers attempted to break up a protesting crowd in Tehran's Friday Mosque. This set off a chain of events that culminated in the issuance of the Constitutional decree by Muzaffar al-Din Shah on 5 August 1906. By telling a different story of these same revolutionary years, I question how these particular events have come to form Iranian collective memory of that revolution, while others have been merely forgotten. Show less
The important role of women in the recent global rise of religious politics is evident. Some are baffled as to why women are attracted to movements that are often conservative and non-egalitarian... Show moreThe important role of women in the recent global rise of religious politics is evident. Some are baffled as to why women are attracted to movements that are often conservative and non-egalitarian in their gender attitudes. Scholars, however, often give only scant attention to the important role of women and of gender attitudes in religio-political movements - questions concerning veiling or abortion are discussed, but in analysing these movements, attention shifts from women to more male-related questions of political control, terrorism, and the like. The first 1999 issue of the Journal of Women's History is a special issue on women in religious politics worldwide. The articles analyse both comparative questions and culture-specific ones. Show less
