Gender

‘Virgins, Viragos, and Lion Women’ was written for the 11^th World Congress of Anthropologists (now the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences) which took place in New Delhi in December 1978.

The text discusses the way women are viewed within Bakhtiari culture, with particular reference to the category of Shirzan or lion-women. Brooks places heavy emphasis on the nature: culture dichotomy surrounding gender and relates this dichotomy to how men and women are portrayed in the poem ‘Abdo Mahmad Lalari’. In a final section, he discusses Bakhtiari costume.

Read Brooks, D.H.M (1978) ‘Virgins, Viragos and Lion Women among the Bakhtiari of S.W. Iran: Ambi-Valent Images of the Female’, 11th Congress of Anthropologists, New Dehli, December 1978 [pdf]

David’s wife Marianne was considered a Shirzan for her work running a clinic for the Bakhtiari

Further information:

The Dancing the World archive contains several texts which address the theme of gender.

For an account of the concept of Shirzan see the Dancing the World archive, Text 18.

For an example of a Shirzan see David’s account of Bibi Maryam in Text 17, page 65.