In this fascinating study examining one of the poorest urban slums in Iran, Masoumeh Velayati explores the cultural, social, and economic factors that contribute to the migration of women from rural to urban locations in Iran and the consequences of their entry into the labor market. Much of the existing literature on women and Iran focuses on Tehran and reflects the situation of educated women of the middle class. This important, highly readable book analyzes the economic and social conditions of working-class Iranian women who have migrated from rural parts of the East Azerbaijan province to Tabriz, the capital of the province and fourth largest city in Iran. Velayati shows how migrant women navigate within and between the formal and informal economies. In the slums of Tabriz, migrant women work around the cultural taboo of working outside the home by involving themselves in domestic industry that can be conducted from home, the largest of these industries being carpet-making. The rise in migrant women involved in income-generating activities has created much greater gender consciousness and there exists a considerable tension between traditional gender norms and economic necessity of women to work. Because of the existing struggle for women to work within the boundaries of traditional gender roles, Velayati argues that employment and migration will only prove to be liberating forces for women when they are allowed to enter the more regulated, visible economic sectors outside the home. Readers interested in Islam, gender studies, migration, and urbanization will gravitate toward this engaging portrait of working-class migrant women in Iran.

This edited collection provides interdisciplinary, global, and multi-religious perspectives on the relationship between women's identities, religion, and social change in the contemporary world. The book discusses the experiences and positions of women, and particular groups of women, to understand patterns of religiosity and religious change. It also addresses the current and future challenges posed by women's changes to religion in different parts of the world and among different religious traditions and practices. The contributors address a diverse range of themes and issues including the attitudes of different religions to gender equality; how women construct their identity through religious activity; whether women have opportunity to influence religious doctrine; and the impact of migration on the religious lives of both women and men.

This edited collection provides interdisciplinary, global, and multi-religious perspectives on the relationship between women's identities, religion, and social change in the contemporary world. The book discusses the experiences and positions of women, and particular groups of women, to understand patterns of religiosity and religious change. It also addresses the current and future challenges posed by women's changes to religion in different parts of the world and among different religious traditions and practices. The contributors address a diverse range of themes and issues including the attitudes of different religions to gender equality; how women construct their identity through religious activity; whether women have opportunity to influence religious doctrine; and the impact of migration on the religious lives of both women and men.