Gender studies of Folklore in Qajar Era

The study of actions of social agents is a part of the social history of Iran that has seldom been studied in detail, while such study is capable of providing valuable information about lifestyle, gender culture, and every day actions of men and women. Thus, with the aim of producing local knowledge for gender and women studies, such investigation sociologically brings about systematic results. Regarding this, the present study focuses on researching documents and theoretical analysis of historical findings from the perspective of gender studies. Document analysis has been extensively employed as a research method for the current study. Over thirty published documents have been examined. Findings of the analysis demonstrate an inclination to superstitious as common beliefs in Qajar era. Employing a functional approach and according to role status, findings of this study indicate a gender difference in upholding such belief. Such inclination in women were expressed in a vast array of acts related to infertility, giving birth, child care, affection, protection against imaginary beings and in men manifested in a range of different acts including improvement in subsistence level, higher yields of lands, abundance of well water and protection against dangers. Moreover, the gender differences among the performers of superstitious and how these beliefs were put into practice is of special note.