Mobilization of Fundraising in the Constitutional Movement; Aspects of Women's Social Participation

Women's activism in the light of the discourse of constitutionalism made them a committed and demanding group that entered the field of action for the ideals of constitutionalism and challenged the dominant gender order. Methodologically, this research explains the aspects of women's mobilization in fundraising based on document analysis. The research problem is to clarify the agency of women in contemporary social history. The findings are presented and analyzed in five categories: practical goals, motivations, mechanisms, socio-economic base of participants, and strategies. Collecting donations to provide resources for the struggle of the constitutionalists in the era of Minor Tyranny, helping the families of the deceased fighters in Tabriz and Ardabil, as well as accumulating initial capital for the establishment of the National Bank, have all been based on patriotic motives of women in the struggle to achieve independence and support the citizens. In addition, it is indicative of the formulation of agency and identity politics of female activists who got fed up with discriminatory gender relations and sought an opportunity for social participation in women’s mobilization. In the absence of jobs and independent income, women used tactics to obtain resources for mobilization. Furthermore, the participation of women from different social origins has given a cross-class dimension to the mobilization.