Mahtab Dadarsefat Mahboob
Transnational Feminist Solidarities: Framings and Limits of Solidarities with Feminist Movements in Iran and Palestine
Shima Tadrisi
The Experience of Otherness of Afghan Women in Iran
Moderator: Nayereh Tohidi
Abstracts
Mahtab Dadarsefat Mahboob
Transnational Feminist Solidarities: Framings and Limits of Solidarities with Feminist Movements in Iran and Palestine
The “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” revolutionary uprising is transnational in nature. Its main slogan has travelled from Northern Kurdistan (Rojava, in Syria) to Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhalat, in Iran) and has been echoed almost all over the globe. In the weeks following 16th September and burial of Jina (Mahsa) Amini as the movement ignited across Iran, it soon received widespread transnational solidarity from feminists in the Global North in different forms of street protests, art, and statements by academics, activists, and (female) politicians alike. Feminists from the Global South have also supported the revolutionary uprising, issuing statements, co-organizing events with Iranian feminists in the diaspora, or initiating debates with texts produced inside Iran in the context of the revolution (as was the case with Arab activists interacting with the article written by L in Harasswatch website). In fact, Mona Eltahawy, the prominent Egyptian-American feminist was among the very first to call the uprising in Iran a “feminist revolution”. However, as the Israeli war on Gaza continues, a similar transnational feminist solidarity seems to be limited with Palestinian women. A few statements from Jin, Jiyan, Azadi activists inside Iran and in the diaspora, including those by bolandg00, JinJiyanAzadiforPalestine, or Jina_Collective have marked moments of solidarity. Yet, some Kurdish feminists, for example, that stood by the side of their Iranian sisters* have failed to express solidarity with Palestinians. This study asks how the Jina revolutionary uprising (and in a broader sense feminist struggle in Iran) was framed and perceived by feminists globally that facilitated solidarity? Where are issues of bodily autonomy and Hijab located in those solidarity discourses?What are the material and geopolitical conditions that shape feminist solidarities differently when it comes to feminist/ women’s movement in Iran and Palestine? What role does the “national” and the “international” play in the practice of position taking? How does the factor of Islamophobia play a role in these (failures at) solidarities? What are the boundaries of practising transnational feminist solidarity in these two cases? In order to answer these questions, a map of solidarities with the two movements will be drawn. The content of the statements and other solidarity practices/ organizing will be analyzed to demonstrate the feminist politics, and the limits of solidarity in both cases.
Shima Tadrisi
The Experience of Otherness of Afghan Women in Iran
The civil wars, foreign invasions, and famine in Afghanistan have caused human and environmental disasters for more than forty years. These are problems that have forced millions of Afghans to leave their homeland. Due to its geographical proximity, Iran is one of the main destinations for Afghan immigrants. However, the host country has not provided a friendly environment for Afghan immigrants. Whether from Iranian citizens or governmental organizations, Afghan immigrants encounter discrimination. Based on interviews with 23 Afghan women, this article examines the types of racist behaviors that they face. The interviews were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The results show that Afghan immigrant women encounter explicit prejudice-based xenophobic discrimination, structural xenophobic discrimination, interpersonal racism, and institutional racism. The second part of the article discusses the tactics through which Afghan women challenge discrimination. Methods include opening bank accounts with Iranian friends’ birth certificates and using Iranians’ health insurance for medical services. They also protect themselves against racist behaviors by speaking Persian with an Iranian accent and dressing like them.
