Gender Order and Marginal Position of Women in Travelogues of the Qajar Period

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Historical Studies, Department of Literature and Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

2 Master's degree in Iranian History, Islamic Period, Payam Noor University, Kermanshah, Iran

10.22034/jiiph.2026.69038.2603

Abstract

Foreign travelogues of the Qajar period reflect a kind of gender order that is in connection, conformity and harmony with the traditional discourse of society. In this gender order, under the influence of components such as the social, economic and cultural conditions of the society, the position of women is a marginal and subordinate position that, under the domination of the patriarchal society, had lost the ability to act broadly in the community. This research attempts to reflect on the gender order and the discursive position of women in the Qajar period from the perspective of the narratives of foreign travelogues. This work attempts to answer the main question of how the gender position of Iranian women affected women's lives and placed them within specific frameworks of social activism, relying on the historical method and using a descriptive-analytical approach. The findings of this study indicate that the travelogues of the Qajar period, by presenting narratives with great detail, showed that women's lives in Iran were influenced by the cultural and social norms and values ​​of a pre-modern society and supported by some religious and customary teachings and instructions, and that women's actions in this society were influenced by the constant gaze and supervision of the male element. The dominant gender order in this period was reproduced by both social institutions and individuals, and the family order and female appearance gained meaning in connection with the issue of the dominant gender order.

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Journal of Iranian Islamic Period History

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 18 February 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 26 October 2025
  • Revise Date: 15 December 2025
  • Accept Date: 18 February 2026

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