Osanloo, A: Politics of Women's Rights in Iran

Preface ix Acknowledgments xvii INTRODUCTION: Human Rights and Cultural Practice 1 CHAPTER ONE: A Genealogy of "Women's Rights" in Iran 20 CHAPTER TWO: Producing States: Women's Participation and the Dialogics of Rights 42 CHAPTER THREE: Qur'anic Meetings: "Doing the Cultural Work" 75 CHAPTER FOUR: Courting Rights: Rights Talk in Islamico-Civil Family Court 108 CHAPTER FIVE: Practice and Effect: Writing/Righting the Law 138 CHAPTER SIX: Human Rights: The Politics and Prose of Discursive Sites 166 CONCLUSION: "Women's Rights" as Exhibition at the Brink of War 200 APPENDIX: The Iranian Marriage Contract 209 Notes 211 Glossary 227 Bibliography 231 Index 251

Arzoo Osanloo is an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology and in Law, Societies, and Justice Program at the University of Washington. Previously, she worked as a human rights attorney, practicing asylum and immigration law.

The book is a valuable contribution to the studies of state-society interaction in the Islamic Republic of Iran. -- G. Tezcur Choice The Politics of Women's Rights in Iran is most appropriate for academic law libraries. It could, perhaps, prove a useful addition to a law firm library as well, particularly for a firm that serves a substantial clientele from an Iranian or Islamic background. The text is written at quite a high level, which prevents me from recommending it for all but the most scholarly types who also have a specific interest in the subject matter. -- Kama Siegel Law Library Journal For ... its much needed accessibility, attention to nuance, and analytic precision, The Politics of Women's Rights in Iran is a valuable contribution to a complex and conflicted field of inquiry. -- Abbas Barzegar American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences [A] unique and effective first book... Osanloo's voice is fresh and provides a deeper insight into the question of women's rights. -- Paola Rivetti Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies Osanloo's book is a timely discussion that not only critiques the limitations of the Islamic Republic's stance on women's rights, but also queries the Western gaze and political agenda often viewing the non-Christian as the alien Other. It provides a fresh perspective on the ways in which contemporary urban women in Iran construct and articulate a discourse of 'rights' relevant to their lives. -- Mehri Honarbin-Holliday Feminist Review The Politics of Women's Rights in Iran is essential reading for human rights scholars, advocates (and sceptics alike), and practitioners who are grappling to find pathways beyond the stale and polarised discourses concerning human rights in Iran. -- Sevda Clark Nordic Journal of Human Rights