Islamism and Women’s Movements in Iran: Hijab as a Burden of Representation

Author

Samah Ahmed, Chapman UniversityFollow

Date of Award

Summer 8-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

International Studies

First Advisor

Crystal Murphy

Second Advisor

Victoria Carty

Third Advisor

Minju Kwon

Abstract

Throughout history, Islamic discourse, political Islam, and the status of Muslim women have been subjects of study. Still, few research efforts have concentrated on the changes and dynamics between Islamic discourse and feminist resistance. Particularly in Iran, attention has primarily been given to the Islamism project, often treated as separate from social movements in post-Islamism. This thesis explores how social movements have used the symbolism of the veil in their resistance, focusing specifically on the women's social movement during the Islamic Revolution. Drawing on Assef Bayat's approach of Islamism and social movements and Gender and power dynamics theory, the main argument of the thesis is that the interplay between Islamic discourse and women’s movements in the context of Iran, It posits that social movements have strategically used the symbolism of the veil as a form of resistance against the political and ideological constraints imposed by Islamic regimes. By integrating Assef Bayat's framework on Islamism and social movements with theories of gender and power dynamics, the thesis seeks to illuminate the nuance relationship between these forces. This research expands the literature on the cultural changes initiated by various Iranian regimes and how social movements have utilized these changes to resist laws, or more dramatically, to oppose the regimes themselves.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Ahmed, S. (2025). Islamism and women’s movements in Iran: Hijab as a burden of representation [Master's thesis, Chapman University]. Chapman University Digital Commons. https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000700