Unveiling Men: Modern Masculinities in Twentieth-Century Iran

For years, Iranian academics, writers, and scholars have equated national development and progress with the reform of men's sexual behavior. Modern intellectuals repudiated native sexuality in Iran, just as their European counterparts in France and Germany did, arguing that transforming male identity was essential to the recovery of the nation.

DeSouza offers an alternate narrative of modern Iranian masculinity as an attempt to redraw social hierarchies among men. Moving beyond rigid portrayals of Islamic patriarchy and female oppression, she analyzes debates about manhood and maleness in early twentieth-century Iran, particularly around questions of race and sexuality. DeSouza presents the larger implications of Pahlavi hegemonic masculinity in creating racialized male subjects and productive sexualities. In addition, she explores a cross-pollination with Europe, identifying how the East shaped visions of European male identity.

Author: Wendy Desouza
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: 01/25/2019
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 9.00h x 8.60w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780815636038

Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2019

About the Author
Wendy DeSouza is PARSA CF visiting lecturer in Iranian studies in the Middle East and South Asia Studies Program at University of California, Davis.