In 1919 teacher and activist Sediqeh Dowlatabadi founded the magazine Zaban-e Zanan.[1] It was the third women's magazine to be published in Iran, and the first to be published outside Tehran - it was published in Isfahan.[2][3] It was preceded by: Danesh (Knowledge) published from 1910; Shokufeh (Blossom) published from 1913.[4] The first issue was published on 18 July 1919 and started as a bi-weekly periodical.[5] Each issue was four pages long.[6] However, due to demand it moved to weekly publication.[5] It only published submissions from women and girls.[7] The magazine was forced to close on 1 January 1921, due to its anti-British stance.[5]
Reception
From the outset, Dowlatabadi set out to create articles which would challenge "backwardness and feeble-mindedness" surrounding women's rights in Isfahan.[8] The publication explicitly advocated for 'Unveiling' of women in Iran.[5] As a result of this stance, the publication was attacked in other news outlets, and the premises were physically attacked with stones and with firearms.[9] The magazine ended up being produced under police protection.[5] Two years after its publication, it was banned for 13 months due to the explicitly anticolonial editorial of Dowlatabadi.[10][11]
Zaban e zanan 1945
In 1921, Dowlatabadi moved to Tehran and re-established the magazine there.[1] This iteration was under the same name, but published as a monthly 48-page magazine.[1] This second edition was influential and gives insight into the lives of women in Iran across several decades.[12]
Legacy
In 2016, Zaban-e Zanan and Dowlatabadi's archives were the subject of an exhibition curated by Azadeh Fatehrad.[13][14][15]
