ABSTRACT
One of the defining characteristics of Iranian society in the twentieth century is the tension between Islam and Western modernity, and between secular and religious claims of authority and governance. During the latter part of this century, a radicalization of Islam took place in the Iranian society, one that entailed farreaching implications. The attempts to introduce social transformations and to bring about an Islamic utopia have established not only a new kind of power politics, but also different kinds of social norms, definitions, and concepts that govern gender relations and women’s issues. These developments, however, have provided contradictory and uneven grounds for women’s active participation in the socio-political spheres and for their self-expression.
