This thesis aims to investigate the influence of Moroccan feminist movements in achieving reform concerning women´s rights both in theory and practice. In order to do so a historical overview is...Show moreThis thesis aims to investigate the influence of Moroccan feminist movements in achieving reform concerning women´s rights both in theory and practice. In order to do so a historical overview is given on the development of feminist movements in Morocco, both secular and Islamic in nature. In this overview some activist campaigns are discussed that were a significant part of the struggle towards progression of women´s rights, both in terms of convincing the political powers, as well as the public. Eventually reforms to the Family law and constitution were implemented, and articles that were reformed appear to vastly improve the position of women. However, numerous articles that were not reformed endure the lesser position of women in society, and at times even contradict newly reformed articles. In practice, reforms seem to have made some impact, providing women with better chances at education and employment, but women continuously face lesser opportunities or conditions when compared to men. This becomes even more evident when looking at women´s marital rights, and the hardships they face in pursuing a political career. Overall, Moroccan feminist movements have been an essential factor in realising policy change, but on a practical level, it has proven to be even more difficult to reach widespread change. Reforms are often not implemented locally, and feminists have not yet managed to encompass all aspects of Moroccan society. Still, the situation of contemporary Moroccan women appears to have greatly improved compared to that of Moroccan women 70 years ago.Show less
This thesis primarily draws comparison between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Pahlavi Dynasty by emphasising the changed political dynamics in relation to the presence of Iranian nationalism.
During the Iran-Iraq war, the Iranian government applied Shi’ite notions of martyrdom in order to mobilize people for the war and enhance its legitimacy. In this research, the question is analyzed...Show moreDuring the Iran-Iraq war, the Iranian government applied Shi’ite notions of martyrdom in order to mobilize people for the war and enhance its legitimacy. In this research, the question is analyzed how Persian memoirs by female authors on the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) have reflected the Iranian cult of martyrdom. Based on the scientific realm of (critical) memory studies, this study analyses the framing of martyrdom by investigating the Persian memoirs of Zahra Hoseyni: One Woman’s War: Da. In these memoirs, Hoseyni narrates how she grew up in the Iranian city of Khorramshahr amid the detrimental events of the Iran-Iraq war and how she participates in the war as a nurse and grave worker. This study suggests that the experiences of martyrdom by Persian women in their memoires are highly determined by their female perspective. In Da, Hoseyni alludes to Zaynab (626-682), the sister of the martyred imam Hoessein (626-68), as being an authority of morality. Though male narratives about the Iran-Iraq war would call upon the martyrdom of imam Hoessein himself, female memoirs imply that they feel more acquainted with the role of Zaynab. Besides, this study suggests that Da proves itself as an emancipatory publication, in which Hoseyni steadfastly objects to the conventional gender roles within the Iranian society. By portraying Hoseyni as an independent woman during the Iran-Iraq war, Da shows that conceptions of martyrdom in female Persian war memoires coincide with challenging views of women’s roles in public society.Show less
The Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) has experienced a remarkable change in its fertility rates during the last four decades. In this timeframe the government shifted the population policies from pro...Show moreThe Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) has experienced a remarkable change in its fertility rates during the last four decades. In this timeframe the government shifted the population policies from pro-natalist to anti-natalist in the late 1980’s and back to pro-natalist a decade ago. The fertility rate which was approximately 6.0 in 1976 rose to 7 in 1986 and then declined rapidly to less than 2.0 in 2005. The two periods in which the IRI employed pro-natalist policy and propaganda (1979-1989 and 2012-now), received only limited analysis in the academic literature. This paper examines the visual pro-natalist propaganda of the past decade and compares it with the propaganda of the formative period of IRI, by analysing and comparing the selected case-studies from each period. Using propaganda-analysis by Jowett and O’Donnell and visual semiotics as described in The SAGE handbook of visual research methods, this paper observes to what extent there is continuity and change in the depiction of families and what this reveals about the social, economic and political situation of IRI.Show less
