Browse oral history

Interview with Dowlatshahi, Mehrangiz

Date

May, 1984

Location

Paris, France

Interviewer

Sami'i, Shirin

Language

Persian

Abstract

Family background, education, and memories of childhood; recollections of the status of women in the 1930s; memories of Reza Shah and his court; on the campaign against veiling during Reza Shah’s reign; life in Germany during WWII; establishment of Women’s Organization of Iran (WOI), and the emergence of active lobbying for women’s rights; creation of various women’s associations and their activities; Rah-e No Society and its membership; WOI’s base of support; WOI’s international activities; recollection of the debate on the Family Protection Law; lobbying for women’s enfranchisement in 1963 and the government’s resistance to the idea; personal recollections of the Pahlavi family; women’s issues and the various Iranian political parties; on the Hezb-e Demokrat-e Iran; extent of participation of Iranian women’s organizations in international forums; on the workings of the Majles; ambassadorship to Denmark; activities of the Confederation of Iranian Students in Denmark; relations between Iran and Denmark; political concerns of Iran at international women’s forums; recollections of the Shah’s marriage to Queen Farah; opinion and memories of Farrokhru Parsa, Amir Abbas Hoveyda and other Iranian political personages; on the Revolution of 1978-79.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15

Part 16

Part 17

Part 18

Part 19

Part 20

Part 21

Part 22

Part 23

Part 24

Transcripts

Mehrangiz-Dowlatshani-APt-I Mehrangiz-Dowlatshani-BPt-II Mehrangiz-Dowlatshani-CPt-III Mehrangiz-Dowlatshani-DPt-IV Mehrangiz-Dowlatshani-EPt-V Mehrangiz-Dowlatshani-VEnglish Mehrangiz-Dowlatshani-XDocument

Contents

243pp. + audio only sections + summary + biographical note + suppl

About the interviewee

Dowlatshahi, Mehrangiz

Women’s Rights Advocate; Founder of Rah-e No (New Way) Society; Director of the Advisory Committee on International Affairs of the Women’s Organization of Iran (WOI); Majles Deputy, 1963-1975; Ambassador to Denmark, 1977-1979.