The female body and place: the case of young Iranian women in Vancouver

Since all regulations in countries labeled as “Islamic” are adapted to the Islamic principles, the female body in these countries is viewed in light of an Islamic interpretation of sexuality. In Iran, after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the Islamic codes have attempted to dominate in regulating social life. In this research, I investigate how Iranian young immigrant women, who were born after the Islamic Revolution, experience and connect with their own bodies. My analysis is based on interviewing with 10 Iranian young women living in Vancouver in addition to pieces written by them as letters to their own bodies. I use Michel Foucault’s notions on discipline, docile bodies, surveillance, and resistance to conceptualize my arguments. One of the remarkable findings of this research was that female body was highly connected to place, specifically the public sphere and also memory in the voice of my participants.