Examining the Role of Iranian Women During the Famine of the First World War (1914–1918)
Keywords:
women, famine, First World War, bread, uprisingAbstract
Drought and its most significant consequence—famine—have long been regarded as natural phenomena in a land such as Iran. In addition to these environmental factors, human elements—particularly wars—have played a decisive role in the emergence of devastating famines by severely restricting Iranians’ access to food resources. The First World War represents one of the most prominent examples of human involvement in the formation of famine conditions in Iran. During this period, Iranian women, despite severe economic and social hardships, bore the heavy burdens of daily life and left enduring and remarkable scenes of sacrifice and resistance in the history of this land. The present study aims to examine the role of Iranian women during the famine caused by the First World War. This research is a historical study, and its data were collected through library-based methods and written using a descriptive–analytical approach. The findings indicate that Iranian women, despite the constraints imposed by the traditional social structure of the time, played a pioneering role in popular protests triggered by famine and the presence of foreign forces, and in some cases actively participated in social uprisings and political developments. This role can be considered a foundation for the emergence of new ideas oriented toward the articulation and pursuit of women’s rights in Iran.
Downloads
References
Afary, J. (2006). The Iranian Constitutional Revolution (3rd ed.). Bistoon Publishing.
Ahmadi Khorasani, N. History of Women in Iran (1st ed.). Roshangaran Publishing.
Alisoufi, A., & Ghafouri, S. (2017). Causes and Consequences of the World War I-Induced Famine in Hamadan. Journal of Social History Research (Research Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies), 7(2), 157-175.
Amin, H. (2017). Iran in World War I (1st ed.). Amir Kabir Publishing.
Avery, P. (1984). Contemporary History of Iran (Vol. 2) (1st ed.). Attaie Publishing.
Baghdar Delgosha, A. (2023). Constitutionalism, Women, and Social Change (3rd ed.). Roshangaran & Women's Studies Publishing.
Bahar, M. a.-S. a. Memoirs of Malek al-Sho'ara Bahar (1st ed.). Tus Publishing.
Bolukbashi, A. (1965). Ritual Ceremonies and the Social Role of Women in Iran (1st ed.). Tus Publishing.
Cliff, T. (2022). Political History of Women: Class Struggle and Women's Liberation (3rd ed.). Afkar-e Jadid Publishing.
Colliver Rice, C. (1987). Persian Women and Their Ways (1st ed.). Astan Quds Razavi, Cultural Affairs Deputy.
Darreh-Gozani, F. (2022). Nangsali: Memoirs of the People of the Ali-Qoli-Aqa Neighborhood of Isfahan. Oral History of the Cultural Front of the Islamic Revolution Publishing.
Delrish, B. (1996). Women in the Qajar Period (1st ed.). Office of Religious Studies.
Ettehadieh, M. (1999). This Is Tehran (1st ed.). Kavir Publishing.
Ettehadieh, M. (2019). Women in the Contemporary History of Iran (3rd ed.). Kavir Publishing.
Fathi, M. (2004). The Women's Center (Kanun-e Banovan) (1st ed.). Institute for Iranian Contemporary Historical Studies.
Floor, W. (2019). A History of Bread in Iran (1st ed.). Iranology Publishing.
Floor, W. (2024). Food Security in Iran (1st ed.). Iranology Publishing.
Gurney, J., & Sefatgol, M. (2009). Qom in the Great Famine (1st ed.). Ayatollah Mar'ashi Najafi Library.
Kasakovsky, V. A. (1976). Memoirs of Colonel Kasakovsky (1st ed.). Simorgh Publishing.
Keddie, N. R. (2024). Women in the Middle East: Past and Present (4th ed.). Shirazeh Publishing.
Kouhestani-Nejad, M. (2002). The Year of Dampokhtak (The Famine of 1917) (1st ed.). Ganjīneh-ye Asnad Publishing.
Lambton, A. (1960). Landlord and Peasant in Persia (1st ed.). Elmi va Farhangi Publishing.
Majd, M. G. (2020). Documentary Examination of Dimensions of the Great Famine in Iran (1917–1919). Historical Studies Quarterly, 16(61), 5-45.
Majd, M. G. (2021). The Great Famine: Genocide of Iranians in World War I, 1917–1919 (4th ed.). Institute for Political Studies and Research.
Majd, M. G. (2023). Britain and the Occupation of Iran in World War I (2nd ed.). Institute for Political Studies and Research.
Malekzadeh, M. (2013). History of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution (Vol. 2) (1st ed.). Elmi Publishing.
Martin, V. (2010). The Qajar Period (1st ed.). Ketab-e Ameh Publishing.
Mirkiaei, M. (2023). Bread and Politics: The Impacts of Bread Crises on the Politics and Economy of the Naseri Era (2nd ed.). Elm Publishing.
Molitor, L. (2024). From the Protected Domains to Iran: A Travelogue (1st ed.). Eynek Publishing.
Mostofi, A. (1992). My Life Story: Administrative and Social History of the Qajar Period (Vol. 2) (5th ed.). Zavar Publishing.
Nahid, A. (1981). Iranian Women in the Constitutional Movement (1st ed.). Ehya Publishing.
Najmabadi, A. (2024). Women with Mustaches and Men without Beards (11th ed.). Tisa Publishing.
Najmi, N. (1991). Tehran in the Naseri Era (1st ed.). Attar Publishing.
Nategh, H. (2010). It Is Our Own Fault: The Cholera Tragedy and the Curse of Governance (1st ed.). Negarestan-e Ketab.
Polak, E. J. (1989). Persia and the Persians (1st ed.). Khwarazmi Publishing.
Rajaei, A. (2007). Isfahan from the Constitutional Revolution to World War I (1st ed.). University of Isfahan Press.
Rosen, M. (1990). A Journey Around Iran (1st ed.). Pazhang Publishing.
Saberi, S. (2018). Iran in World War II (3rd ed.). Ghoghnoos Publishing.
Salour, M., & Afshar, I. (2001). Ayn al-Saltaneh's Diary (1st ed.). Asatir Publishing.
Seyf, A. (1994). The Economy of Iran in the Nineteenth Century (1st ed.). Cheshmeh Publishing.
Shadi-Talab, Z. (2002). Development and Challenges of Iranian Women (1st ed.). Qatreh Publishing.
Shafiei, S. S. (2021). Social History of Women in the Qajar Era (1st ed.). Sales Publishing.
Shuster, M. (2007). The Strangling of Persia (1st ed.). Khwarazmi Publishing.
Taji, G. (2025). Oral history interview with the author regarding the late Javad Taji’s memories of the famine (son of Molla Ahmad Taj al-Din). Isfahan, Iran.
Takmil Homayoun, N. (1998). Social History of Iran in the Contemporary Period (1st ed.). Akhtaran Publishing.
Tavana, M. A. (2001). Women in the Contemporary History of Iran (1st ed.). Barg-e Zeytoon Publishing.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Zohreh Taji (Author); Feizollah Boushasb Gousheh (Corresponding author); Seyyed Alireza Abtahi (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
