Parvin Ectesami Was not a Feminist: A Criticism on Gender, Cultural and Social Inequalities from a Feminine Viewpoint

The literature in every society is a reflection of the social and socio-cultural circumstances of that society; such a reflection is more evident especially in the societies which have constantly suffered from the tyranny of the kings and have been exploited and abused by foreigners. The Persian literature is full of poems by loyal poets who tried to express their objections in figurative ways against the prevalent suppressions. Parvin Etesami, as a responsible poet, was born at time of constitutionalism in Iran.The poems after constitutionalism showed a tendency toward social and political issues and the changes in the society. Parvin, too, in such an intellectual atmosphere, as a woman, criticized the tyrannical structures from a feminine viewpoint. Despite the fact that today there is a lot of discussions about Parvin's being a feminist, the present research believes that she was a faithful poet whose poems were accompanied with moral and Quranic instructions. The study of Parvin Etesami's poetry and thoughts proves that she was not a feminist; rather she was a loyal and revolutionary poet who dealt with gender (women's problems), culture and society within the framework of moral and religious instructions.