Veiling and Unveiling: Everyday Gender Struggles in Iran (Origins) #3

Pursuing our exploration of the ‘Origins’ of authoritarianism, in this third episode of This Authoritarian Life we will continue to focus on the role of the body in authoritarian politics. More specifically, we will turn our attention to the female body, which functions as an object of control and a site of resistance, and look more closely at the example of the Islamic Republic of Iran, where tensions over the policy of mandatory veiling have surfaced in a violent manner in the past years. Our guests, sociologist Firoozeh Farvardin and artist Yasaman Pishvaei, recount their experiences of growing up as young women in Iran; reflect on the tensions surrounding female identity, family and community; analyze the Jina revolution of 2022; and offer their own hopeful view on the struggle for female emancipation.

In what sense is veiling about infinitely more than policing how one should dress in public? How did men end up joining women’s emancipatory struggles? What role did mutual aid among citizens play in the outbreak of the revolution and what does it mean for the future of Iran?

🎧 To find out, tune into this third episode of This Authoritarian Life with Kristóf Szombati and Erdem Evren!

More about our guests' work:
Yasaman Pishvaei's Fugitive Rhythms of Uprising:
https://yasapi.com/#fugitiverhythm
You can watch her audio-visual response to the revolution, The Womb, here:
https://youtu.be/P_tE0Ct9EV4?feature=shared
Firoozeh Farvardin's articles: 
https://irgac.org/people/firoozeh-farvardin/

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Chapters

• 0:00 Episode Teaser & Jingle
• 1:04 Introduction to the Episode & Guests
• 3:00 Ahoo Daryaei's Undressing
• 8:50 The History of the Hijab
• 13:47 Growing Up as a Woman in Iran
• 23:43 The Revolution of 2022
• 39:11 Flesh and Dust
• 41:53 Takeaways
• 44:25 Acknowledgements