Moral Knowledge and the Education of Constitutional-Era Women in the Newspaper Shokoufeh

Abstract

With the outbreak of the Constitutional Revolution, new discourses emerged in Iran, among the most significant of which were journalism and the publication of periodicals under women’s names. The newspaper Shokoufeh represents the second experience of women’s journalism in the post-Constitutional period and is examined in this article through the method of content analysis. The principal research question asks which themes and issues were addressed by Shokoufeh, and what ideals and objectives its contributors pursued within their intellectual framework. By reviewing the issues of Shokoufeh and applying content analysis, the central hypothesis of this study is that the newspaper advocated women’s entry into social spheres within the framework of prevailing Sharia, traditions, and social norms of Iranian society, while seeking to avoid moving toward religious confrontation. The findings indicate that Shokoufeh, while remaining committed to the institution of the family, strengthening national identity, and emphasizing women’s participation in social arenas, addressed topics such as women’s upbringing and education, the rejection of superstitions and superstition, the promotion of domestic products, women’s hygiene and health, household management, marriage and marital relations, and, with regard to the issue of veiling, insisted on complete coverage for women by citing the Qur’anic verse on hijab.