Historical Reinterpretation of the Policy-Making Field for Modern Women's Education during the Qajar

Document Type : علمی وپزوهشی

Authors

1 PhD Candidate in Social Welfare, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Faculty Member of Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

10.22059/jsr.2026.392992.2039

Abstract

This study examines the transformation of women’s education during the Qajar period, a key process in Iran’s transition from traditional to modern education. While previous research has addressed the establishment of new schools and the role of intellectual elites, the interaction between institutional arrangements, social forces, and policymaking for women’s education has received little analytical attention. This study is therefore necessary to clarify how these interactions shaped educational policies and connected with broader institutional, cultural, and political developments of the era. Using a historical institutionalist approach and concepts such as path dependency and critical junctures, it shows that the establishment of the Anjoman-e Ma’aref and the 1906 Constitutional Amendment were pivotal moments. These junctures disrupted traditional educational monopolies, promoted public education and gender equality, and facilitated the institutionalization of women’s schooling. By breaking entrenched institutional paths, they enabled the shift from traditional to modern education for women and contributed to redefining their social position in Qajar society.

Keywords

Sociological Review
Volume 33, Issue 1
May 2026
Pages 63-82

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