Voices from Iran

Abstract

Voices from Iran is authored by Mahnaz Kousha, an Iranian college professor who lectures on issues relating to women in the Middle East at Macalester College in Minnesota. The 10-chapter work provides a qualitative study, featuring 15 Iranian women, that addresses the position of women in Iran. Participants ranged in age from from 38 to 55 and lived in the capital city of Tehran from 1995 to 1997. These women came from low- to high-income families, had educational backgrounds that range from high school diplomas to college/university degrees, and possessed employment experience in Iran. Even though the work can be considered a valuable piece in that it serves as a medium through which the voices of Iranian women can be heard, it does not necessarily reflect the experiences of all women due to the limitation of the research itself (region, language, religion). In addition, some of Kousha’s conclusions are far reaching and can be rendered debatable. For instance, the issue of why educated mothers still do not treat their daughters fairly and seem unable to help them question and resist their social status is not addressed. The author also fails to provide an in-depth analysis regarding the impact of family class and culture in shaping the subjectivities of their daughters. As well, the social and cultural impact of the Islamic revolution on women’s rights in Iran is not discussed. Moreover, a closing summary or assessment is not made at the end of the work. The book’s first three chapters include an introduction, a methodology chapter, and an introduction to the research participants. The analysis of the data begins from chapters 4 and 5, where the different relationships between mothers and daughters are discussed. Some of the participants’ experiences involve mothers who openly shared their problems and concerns with them such as the isolation and powerlessness that they have with their husbands or mothers-in-law. Others complained that their mothers discriminated against them while giving their brothers preferential treatment. Of interest is the fact that the author does not explore the underlying factors that may have contributed to this problematic behavior such as parental education, socioeconomic status, local culture, and religious issues. In chapter 6, Kousha analyzes the relationship between fathers and daughters. The father is seen as the first man in his daughter’s life, providing ...