Becoming Visible in Iran: Women in Contemporary Iranian Society

by Mehri Honarbin-Holliday

The state of women in Islamic societies is the subject of much interest and heated debate, even as representations in the media rely on inadequate information and misperceptions. "Becoming Visible in Iran" disputes the widespread stereotypes about Muslim women prevalent in the West, providing a vivid account of young women in contemporary Iran. Beginning at home, women are infusing dramatic change by challenging the patriarchal conceptions of their fathers, brothers, uncles and others within the intimate sphere of family and home. Empowered by education, they transport the power of their minds and beginning from the domestic to the public and political.Through detailed interviews and striking narratives, Mehri Honarbin-Holliday presents the experiences of these young women who wield a key if indirect political influence on the seemingly male dominated politics of this society, as they achieve a new visibility. For its direct presentation of women's perspectives as well as its analysis and insight, this book is a vital contribution to our understanding of the lives of Muslim women and the possibilities before them today.This title offers contemporary research on Iran.
It provides original fieldwork, including interviews with young Iranian women. It is relevant for Gender Studies and Middle East specialists.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Yomna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember the last time I finished a book in one sitting. This was a beautifully captivating and insightful read.

[Golnaz Jamsheed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essential reading if your image of Iranian women starts and ends with headlines. Visible in Iran blends history, law, and lived testimony to dismantle Western caricatures while tracing a century of struggle from Reza Shah’s unveiling to post-1979 reversals, war, sanctions, and reformist openings.

The book’s core argument is agency: women negotiating patriarchal law and policing through education, work, dress, art, and grassroots campaigns, building a civil society brick by brick. I loved how everyday scenes (metro cars, coffee shops, campus debates) sit alongside legal battles over custody, stoning, and citizenship, showing resistance as routine, intelligent, and collective. It’s also unsparing about U.S./UK interventions and their human costs, without losing sight of local authoritarianism.

The takeaway is hopeful but unsentimental: ideas travel, visibility grows, and “improving the condition of self” is inseparable from improving society.