Journal of Iranian Cultural Research
Year:2011 | Volume:4 | Issue:3 (15)|Papers Count:8

This paper, adopting a historical-descriptive approach, aims at studying women’s clothing in Achaemenid Period. Therefore all of the sources in which there is some information about women’s clothing are studied critically in this research. At first, the way Achaemenid ascended the throne is studied and Iranians’ and Greeks’ different attitudes on Achaemenid women’s life are presented, then women’s representation in Achaemenid archeological evidences is investigated and a precise description of women’s clothing and costume is given. The findings of this research, which are based on historical resources and the representation of women in Achaemenid archeological evidences such as seals and reliefs over stones/engraves, clearly reveal that despite of political and economic activities and considerable freedom women had in Achaemenid Period, they used a kind of clothing that covered all over their bodies. Using this kind/style of clothing was based on this attitude that in fact Iranian women in Achaemenid Period considered nudity and bareness obscence/dirty and inappropriate so they wore a kind of costumes that covered all over their bodies.

The Safaviet regime introduced a new identity to Iranians that was based on the Shiite religion. The teachings of this religion gradually became manifested in the speech and the behavior of the society. Some non-Moslem minorities lived in different cities and regions and followed their own religious believes and traditional conduit. The Zoroastrians were the renowned minority among all. Therefore, the historians and European travelers of that era became interested in Zoroastrian's way of living. The women's attire and veiling and the related images of this social behavior were either described or captured on the paper and this raises the question that: what kind of variables did influence the Veiling and attire of the Zoroastrian women in that era? In order to answer this question the following assumption should be examined ''The Zoroastrian religious teachings and the emphasis on Veil in Iran as a necessity for women together with the religious teachings of shiiet in the Safviet era were dominant and played an essential role in the Zoroastrian women's Veiling and attire'' The subject of this study is in the historical sociology. Here the historic-analytic method is applied and the data is obtained from to domestic historians and European travelers' recorded notes of the ear. In the conceptual analysis the historical findings are studied by adopting functionalism in the field of sociology. Based on these two typs of study the essential outcome of this research proves the assumption to be right and indicates that how influential the three essential factors have been regarding the title of this research.

Hijab is a sign, a sign of cultural differences which has various emergences in different communities. In this article the Islamic veil among Muslims in the West is discussed as an “Islamic Identity” and as a phenomenon of “Cultural Difference” with the Western societies. This sign has represented the Muslim not only as a religious group, a minority which belongs to the East, and a group of people that their culture is different with the dominant culture of the West, but also is different from Westerners how does not accept the culture of veil for women in general. Furthermore, it is emerging different cultural and religious discourses in the Western societies which could be assumed as a challenge to the dominant culture of freedom, liberalism and feminism discourse. This paper aims to clarify the approaches of cultural semiotics, especially, the cultural policy of difference as a new approach to strengthen the neo-orientalism and neo-colonialism approaches and how the discourse of the veil and the otherness is developed in the Western societies. Discourse analysis of various news and reports in Western Media demonstrate the emergence of new methods of discourse on issues related to Islam and Muslims in general and the “Islamic veil” as a special way of life to put the “Islamic Identity” in opposition to the “Western Identity” which is affected by the orientalism discourse on its old and new approaches.This new way of discourse is trying to institutionalize the idea of “I and the other” based on the new understanding of “otherness” and “the cultural policies of difference”.

As an Islamic obligation in Iran’s Society, the Hijab doctrine was regarded by Pahlavi Dynasty as an impediment in the way of development. Therefore, the “politics of Nudism” is pursued by the regime. It was not acceptable to the people. The current research argues that Islamic Schools established during the reign of second Pahlavi, from Social Capital perspective, were an influential and significant institutions that acted as a network, which possessing a strong norms such as “Hijab”, contributed greatly to the strengthening of hijab culture in two ways: first, because observing hijab rules in these schools was obligatory, it reinforced the culture of wearing hijab among students and their families. Secondly, from social capital point of view, these networks are suitable places for trustful cooperation. So, with continued governance of Hijab culture in these schools, it naturally opposed the “politics of Nudism” and, therefore, contributed to strengthening of Hijab culture.

The present article analyzes the effects of globalization on individual behavior. Globalization through the communication technology and information revolution has caused the time and place borders to fade away. It has also led to the expansion of individual values among the local cultures that can present their values to the world. Television satellite channels are among the most important tools for the promotion of these norms and cultural values in socities. This article analyzes the effects of fashion satellite channels on the educated Iranian female. It tries to find out to what extent social and individual actions are based on conscious and/or unconscious global communicative perceptions and see if satellite as a powerful communication medium can affect educated Iranian youth. Using surveys and analyzing the data, it can be concluded that those fashion satellite channels that advertise western-style custumes have affected the educated girls in our society. However, these effects have usually been conscious-based rather than behavior-based. This study shows that these effects have been more influencial on the consumers’ knowledge rather than their social behaviours and actions.

According to the interpretive theories, social phenomena, including hijab, are made by society members, jointly. In the beginning every person has a distinct perception of a social phenomenon, then different people share their perceptions through social interactions and therefore the similarities and differences of this perceptions and also the misperceptions are modified and a shared social reality which is accepted and obeyed by all society members is shaped, and this society-made social reality canalize and direct their social behaviors. So to modify ifaf & hijab culture in Iran, we should rebuild the correct way of cover and behavior that has been changed and deviated during last years, and redefine a new social reality on the basis of Islamic values and make it objective. In this article, the modification process of ifaf & hijab social reality is presented though 3 stages of externalization, objectivation & internalization. In the first stage of this process, correct and value-based, objective and shared perceptions and interpretations about agreeable type of behavior and wearing (behavior and wearing standards) is shaped. In the second stage a new social reality about the Islamic type of behavior and wearing is created based on Islamic values, and finally in the third stage, underlying values of the new social reality is internalized and stabilized in the society.

Hijab is one of the issue in social life which respected in all different communities since past. In this study a comparison was made among the students of State University, Payame Noor University and Islamic Azad University about the model of Hijab.The sample size was 180 students which 38.9% of students in State university, 38.3% in Payame Noor University and 22.8% in Islamic Azad University were studying. The data gathered by a questionnaire and the data analyzed through statistical test. The results of the study indicated that there was significant relationship among the universities in terms of the model of Hijab among the students in different "situations" and "environments".The results showed that the students of Islamic Azad University had more inappropriate Hijab than the students of Payame Noor and State University in market and parties. The result also showed that the students of Payame Noor University had more inappropriate Hijab than the students of State University in market and parties. But the result showed that no significant relationship among three universities about the model of Hijab when the students are studying in universities. In public environments (without control and be unfamiliar). There is more inappropriate Hijab but in Universities it is not in this way. Because there is a control system in the universities to monitor students in order to have appropriate Hijab. The other reason for having appropriate Hijab in State University is that the students are expecting to obtain job than other students who study in Payame Noor University and Islamic Azad University.