Muslim family, modernity, and Sharia Courts: Iranian women claiming their rights

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K16921
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: History of Asia and Africa
• Research Institution: Ochanomizu University (2018-2019); The University of Tokyo (2016-2017)
• Principal Investigator: Abe Naofumi お茶の水女子大学, 基幹研究院, 助教 (20589626)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: ムスリム女性 / イスラーム法廷 / 法廷文書 / 相続 / イラン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project discussed roles of women in families of Muslim societies of West Asia, based on Persian archival materials, taking into account "modernization." A special emphasis was on the case of Iran since very few researchers have investigated into the social history of Iranian women based on legal documents. This project points out that women's strategy of claim to their right was closely related to the long term family connection. Thus it is better to grasp options chosen by female relatives rather than focusing on the confrontation between women and male agnates, whose viewpoint has been relatively prevalent in Middle Eastern Studies.
Of major outcomes of this project, "Islamic Law and Family Estate" was published in February 2020.

Free Research Field

西アジア史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、イスラーム法と女性の関係を具体的な事例から読み解いた。特にヴェールの共生着用などで女性差別の典型と見做されているイランの事例を取り上げ、女性たちの主体的な財産行為と男性親族との多様な交渉を描くことで、表面的な女性抑圧像とは違った側面を描き出すことができたと考える。また単著として『イスラーム法と家産』を刊行することで、研究成果の一部を日本社会にも還元することができた。このほか、『イスラーム・ジェンダー・スタディーズ１　結婚と離婚』など、より手に取りやすい本にも寄稿し、一般社会にも広く研究成果を公開することに努めた。