Socio-Cultural Strategy

Socio-Cultural Strategy

Identity Components Governing the Ideal Woman Model in Ayatollah Khamenei's Thought

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Malihe Hajihasan 1
Mehdi Naderi 2
1 Ph.D student in Political Studies of the Islamic Revolution, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Shiraz University
10.22034/scs.2025.471607.1591
Abstract
Theoretical approaches to women's issues often seek to present ideal models of women's identity to guide policymaking and programming related to women at the family and societal levels. The discourse of the Islamic Revolution has also presented a specific image of the ideal woman that, both in theory and practice, is in contrast to the liberal and traditional women's models in Iranian society. Considering the importance of this issue, this paper, focusing on the role of Ayatollah Khamenei as the leader and ideologue of the Islamic Revolution, employs a network content analysis method using the MAXQDA software to answer the following main question: "What are the identity components governing the ideal woman model in Ayatollah Khamenei's thought?" The findings of the research emphasize that Ayatollah Khamenei's view of women is based on an evolutionary and future-oriented process. On the one hand, through social and cultural planning and direction, women's society must experience a process of evolution and improvement; on the other hand, the ideal model of the Islamic Revolution's discourse [The Third Woman's Paradigm] has the power to challenge rival models - the liberal and traditional models. The practical experience of the Islamic Revolution in women's issues indicates that Muslim women, while preserving their roles as mothers and wives, can play a sublime role in scientific, social, cultural, political, and sports arenas with dignity and honor.
Keywords
Women's identity
The Third Woman's Paradigm
Discourse Analysis
Ayatollah Khamenei

Subjects

 
References
The Holy Qur’an.
Abedi Jafari, H., Taslimi, M. S., Faghihi, A. & Sheikhzadeh, M. (2011). Thematic analysis and thematic networks: A simple and efficient method for explaining patterns in qualitative data. Strategic Management Thought, (2), 151–198. (In Persian)
Al-Ghafour, M. T. (2008). A new chapter of women's political participation in Iran. Shiite Women Quarterly, 18, 147–180. (In Persian)
Derakhshan, J. & et al. (2015). Thematic analysis of trust in the thought of Ayatollah Khamenei. Contemporary Political Studies Quarterly, 6(17), 53–72. (In Persian)
Giddens, A. (1999). Sociology (Trans. by Manouchehr Sabouri). Tehran: Ney Publishing. (In Persian)
Giddens, A. (2010). Modernity and Self-Identity: Society and Personal Identity in the Modern Age (Trans. by Naser Movafaghian). Tehran: Ney Publishing. (In Persian)
Given, L. M. (2008),The sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods-Sage, (1&2), Retrieved from https://www.yanchukvladimir.com
Green, Thomash (1990). Comparative Revolutionary Movements, third  Edition. New jersey: prentice- Hall.
Imam Ali (A.S.). (2000). Nahj al-Balagha (Trans. by Mohammad Dashti). Qom: Mashreqin Publications. (In Persian)
Imam Khomeini, R. (2002). Forty Hadiths (25th ed.). Tehran: The Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini’s Works. (In Persian)
Imam Khomeini, R. (2008). The Will of Imam Khomeini (14th ed.). Tehran: Firdous Publications. (In Persian)
Imam Khomeini, R. (2010). Sahifeh-ye Imam Khomeini (Collected Works of Imam Khomeini). Tehran: The Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini’s Works. (In Persian)
Imam Khomeini, R. (2011). Tebyan-e Hashtom (Tebyan VIII). Tehran: The Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini’s Works. (In Persian)
Jamshidi, M. H. (2005). The Political Thought of Imam Khomeini (R.A.). Tehran: The Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini’s Works. (In Persian)
Jenkins, R. (2002). Social Identity (Trans. by Touraj Yarahmadi). Tehran: Shirazeh Publications. (In Persian)
Khamenei, S. A. (March 6, 2013). Message to the Congress of Seven Thousand Martyred Women. (In Persian)
Kowsari, M., Tafreshi, A. & Alavi-Neko, M. S. (2017). Imam Khomeini (R.A.) and the construction of female identity in the Islamic Revolution: Deconstruction of Pahlavi II’s discourse and Imam Khomeini’s semantic hegemony. Women in Development and Politics Quarterly, 13, 327–357. (In Persian)
Lotfabadi, M. (2013). A theoretical review of the concept of “identity.” Kheradnameh Quarterly, 4(10), 54–65. (In Persian)
Mehrabi Koushki, R. & et al. (2016). The role of identity styles in explaining national identity. Applied Sociology Quarterly, 27(2), 43–60. (In Persian)
Mirmomeni, Z. S. (2015). Critique of the feminist movement and its consequences. The New Jurisprudential and Legal Research Journal of Women and Family, (2), 140–157. (In Persian)
Rafatjah, M. & Rouhafza, F. (2012). A study of social and cultural factors affecting Muslim women's attitudes toward religious identity. Iranian Journal of Social Issues, 3(6). (In Persian)
Sanasarian, E. (2005). The Women’s Rights Movement in Iran (Trans. by Noushin Ahmadi Khorasani). Tehran: Akhtaran Publications. (In Persian)
Sarookhani, B. & Rafatjah, M. (2004). Women and the redefinition of social identity. Women’s Research Journal, 2(1), 71–91. (In Persian)
Severin, W. J. & Tankard, J. W. (2007). Communication Theories (Trans. by Alireza Dehghan). Tehran: University of Tehran Press. (In Persian)
Sheikhzadeh, M., Taslimi, M. S., Abedi Jafari, H., & Faghihi, A. (2011). Thematic analysis and thematic networks: A simple and efficient method for explaining patterns in qualitative data. Strategic Management Thought Journal, 2, 151–197. (In Persian)
Tavassoli, G. A. (1990). Sociological Theories. Tehran: SAMT Publications. (In Persian)
Tohidfam, M. & Eisavand, L. (2010). Feminism and democracy through history. Journal of International Relations Studies, (13), 25–56. (In Persian)

  • Receive Date 30 November 2024
  • Revise Date 05 June 2025
  • Accept Date 08 June 2025