Gender and Family Studies

Gender and Family Studies

Representation of the Evolution of Legal and Jurisprudential Approaches in Gender Discourse: A Case Study of Zanan Magazine (2000–2004)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
hoda mostafaei 1
Amir mohajer milani 2
1 PhD student of Women's Studies at University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Jurisprudence and Law, Women and Family Research Institute, Qom, Iran
Abstract
The relationship between gender, Sharia, and law remains one of the most challenging areas of social and intellectual inquiry in religious societies. Religious conceptualizations of gender, and their role in shaping gendered and social identities, exert a significant influence on legal and legislative processes. In post-revolutionary Iran, where legal and political structures are deeply informed by religious doctrine, this intersection has become a recurring subject of inquiry and reinterpretation, particularly during periods of discursive and political shift. One such pivotal period is the early 2000s (Persian calendar: early 1380s). Concurrent with the tenure of the Sixth Parliament, the rise of religious intellectualism, and the expansion of reformist movements in the legislative and media spheres, this era provided a conducive context for rethinking the nexus of religion, law, and women’s issues. Within this context, Zanan magazine—as a leading publication—played a crucial role in representing and generating discourse on these matters. By mobilizing a network of scholars and experts in gender, religion, and jurisprudence, the magazine established a unique platform for reflecting on, critiquing, and rethinking gender-related issues. Against this backdrop, analyzing the content of Zanan during these years—a period defined by significant legislative and media activism—offers a deeper understanding of religious discourse on women’s rights and its complex relationship with Sharia and the law.
Utilizing a qualitative content analysis approach, this study examines how the relationship between Sharia, law, and gender is represented in Zanan magazine from 2000 to 2004. The research corpus comprises the articles published in this period. Data were analyzed inductively, involving the extraction of main categories and subcategories to document the evolution of perspectives and critiques regarding the nexus of Sharia, law, and women’s issues. The selection criteria for the sampled content focused on legal-gender issues and approaches to jurisprudence and law. Furthermore, the study employs content typology, along with surface and semantic analysis, and the identification of recurring patterns in the magazine’s discourse.
The findings reveal that, during this period, Zanan highlighted four key axes in representing the relationship between Sharia, law, and gender: (1) the necessity of women’s awareness as a prerequisite for participating in legal reform and achieving rights; (2) the critique of both traditional and modern jurisprudential readings for their failure to address gender-based demands, while emphasizing the patriarchal structure of jurisprudence; (3) the emphasis on feminist perspectives and the inclusion of women in religious interpretation and legislation; and (4) the demand for equality-based justice in opposition to structural discrimination. Initially, the magazine maintained an optimistic stance toward the potential for intra-jurisprudential reform and religious intellectualism; however, it progressively shifted toward highlighting the inadequacy of these approaches, proposing alternatives such as customary legislation and the utilization of human rights instruments. Within this discourse, the concept of justice diverges from its traditional meaning, focusing instead on justice as equality and the elimination of discrimination, while occasionally acknowledging differentiated roles. Overall, the magazine’s representations of women’s issues encompass a synthesis of lived experience, analytical approaches, and legal advocacy.
An analysis of Zanan magazine reveals that its dominant discourse—grounded in women’s lived experiences and the analysis of discriminatory structures—has sought to redefine the relationship between Sharia, law, and gender. This representation simultaneously highlights the inadequacy of prevailing jurisprudential readings in addressing gender-based discrimination while striving to reconstruct this nexus through awareness-raising, shifts in social attitudes, and the proposal of alternative solutions. The analysis of the magazine’s content trajectory reveals that, over time, its approach has shifted from relying on intra-religious reform toward advocating for alternative institutions to address women’s demands, indicating a discernible discursive transformation in the relationship between religion, Sharia, law, and gender. While reflecting theoretical and epistemological critiques, the magazine has also sought to open new avenues for influencing official discourse, at times interweaving social activism, analytical journalism, and legal empiricism. The relationship between religion, jurisprudence, law, and gender within this discourse is deeply contextual and evolving. Accordingly, studying this media experience offers vital insights into the conceptual and structural transformations regarding women’s issues in contemporary Iran.
Keywords
Women&‌‌‌‌‌‌‌rsquo
s rights, customary law, Islamic feminism, dynamic jurisprudence, gender justice, women-centered perspective, religious reform
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