LAUSR

Academic trends and developments in the research field have profoundly affected my choice of research topics. When I conducted field research for an anthropology PhD in Iran from June 1978 to December 1979, academic interests at the time and the revolutionary upheaval in Iran channeled my work. I focused on “Aliabad” villagers’ political culture, including women’s activities and marriage ties, and how their political culture influenced their views, analyses, and participation in the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Currently, academic foci include marriage and sexuality, and a sexual revolution is spreading in Iran. Impacted by these developments, both women in Iran, especially younger ones, and I are more open to breaking previous silences and discussing sexuality. Guided by other researchers, media, local preoccupations, and research partners, I will investigate the current revolution: the dramatic transformations in Iranian gender politics, sexuality, and marriage relations, beginning to spread, even to the community of Aliabad (a pseudonym).