the significance of making women the discourse of official policy making in reza khan era: with focus on the theory of racism

in this study, one basic question will be answered: why were women officially considered being the subject of policy making decisions in reza khan era? the answer should be found in the particular logic of the discourse of that time which was “archeological nationalism”. the discourse is based on racist theory and understands social and cultural issues on the same basis. during the gap emerged between constitutional revolution and failure of the regime evolved by that revolution and the time reza khan took the throne, the belief based on the strategy of bright autocracy was built up among political elite and nationalist social forces that the strategy of developing and rebuilding the society of iran is the reform in iranian people’s corrupt nature. it is clear that in the framework of archeological nationalism changing the nature of iranians was not possible except through racial purification. marriage is the core of the strategy and women as one of the parties in marriage, as a person who gives birth to babies and as a mother who brings up the new iranian generation had a particular place among ancient nationalists. for this very reason women were the main addressees of social policy making of the government and the elite nationalists with “hijab removal” as the most prominent policy.