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Mehrangiz Dowlatshahi

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Mehrangiz Dowlatshahi
Iranian Ambassador to the Denmark
In office
1 March 1975 – 1 March 1979
Preceded byParviz Sepahboudi
Succeeded byAbbas Amir-Entezam
Member of the Parliament of Iran
In office
15 January 1963 – 14 January 1975
ConstituencyKermanshah
Personal details
Born13 December 1919
Isfahan, Sublime State of Persia
Died1 October 2008(2008-10-01) (aged 88)
Paris, France
NationalityIranian
Political party
Parents
  • Akhtar ol-Mulk (mother)
  • Mohammad Ali Mirza (father)
Alma mater

Mehrangiz Dowlatshahi (Persian: مهرانگیز دولتشاهی; 13 December 1919 – 11 October 2008) was an Iranian social activist and politician, who held significant positions, including ambassador of Iran to Denmark during the Pahlavi era. She also served as a member of the Majlis for three terms.

Early life and education

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Her family were major land owners based in Kermanshah[1] and were progressive aristocrats.[2] Her father was Mohammad Ali Mirza (also known as Meshkout Al Dowleh), majlis member and land owner.[3][4] He was a member of the Qajar dynasty.[5] Her mother was Akhtar ol-Mulk, daughter of Hidayat Quli Khan. Mehrangiz was the cousin of Esmat Dowlatshahi, fourth wife of Reza Shah.[6]

Concerning the birth date and birthplace of Dowlatshahi there are some conflicting reports which were stated by herself.[5] Abbas Milani states that she gave two different birth years, 1917 and 1919.[5] The same is also reported by Abbas Milani in regard to her birth city, which was given as both Tehran and Isfahan.[5]

Mehrangiz was one of the first Iranian girls who attended a co-education kindergarten.[2] Then she graduated from the Zoroastrian School in Tehran.[2] She held a bachelor's degree from Berlin University.[3] She received a PhD in social and political sciences from Heidelberg University.[3]

Career

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Dowlatshahi worked at the social services organization and at the organization for support of prisoners.[7] She established Jama’at-i Rah-i Naw (Persian: The New Path Society) in 1954, which later became part of the International Women's Syndicate.[7][8] The society offered training to women and advocated equal rights for them.[3] She also launched adult literacy programs in southern Tehran.[7] In 1951, she and activist Safeyeh Firouz met Mohammad Reza Shah to discuss the electoral rights of women in Iran.[9] She was the director of the advisory committee on international affairs of the Women's Organization of Iran (WOI).[10] In 1973, she was appointed president of the International Council of Women and her term ended in 1976.[11]

Dowlatshahi was elected to the Majlis in 1963, being one of six female deputies.[12] She served there until 1975.[10] She represented Kermanshah at the Majlis for three terms.[13][14] She significantly contributed to the passing of the family protection law in 1967 and to its expansion in 1974.[13] She also served as the first minister of women affairs.[15] She became the first woman ambassador of Imperial Iran to Denmark when she was appointed to the post in 1975.[15][16]

Later years and death

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Dowlatshahi was serving as the Iranian ambassador in Denmark when the 1979 revolution occurred. Soon after this incident she left the country and settled in Paris.[7] She had a house in Great Falls, Fairfax County, Virginia, USA, which was sold in 2016.[17] She published a book entitled Society, Government, and Iran’s Women’s Movement in 2002.[7] She died in Paris in October 2008.[7]

Awards and honors

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In 1997, Dowlatshahi was named as the woman of the year by the Iranian Women's Studies Foundation in the United States.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Centers of Power in Iran" (PDF). CIA. May 1972. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Camron Michael Amin (1999). "Propaganda and remembrance: gender, education, and "the women's awakening" of 1936". Iranian Studies. 32 (3): 371. doi:10.1080/00210869908701961. PMID 21879513.
  3. ^ a b c d "Sex equality still elusive: feminist". The Age. 6 November 1973. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Dolatshahi, Mehrangiz". Harvard University. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d Abbas Milani (2008). Eminent Persians: The Men and Women Who Made Modern Iran, 1941-1979. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. p. 526. ISBN 978-0-8156-0907-0.
  6. ^ Camron Michael Amin (2002). The Making of the Modern Iranian Woman: Gender, State Policy, and Popular Culture, 1865-1946. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-8130-3126-2.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Nazy Kaviani (28 October 2008). "Mehrangiz Dolatshahi". Iranian. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  8. ^ Mana Kia (2005). "Negotiating Women's Rights: Activism, Class, and Modernization in Pahlavi Iran". Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 25 (1): 233. doi:10.1215/1089201X-25-1-227.
  9. ^ Ali Akbar Mahdi (October 2004). "The Iranian Women's Movement: A Century Long Struggle". The Muslim World. 94 (4): 427–448. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.2004.00067.x.
  10. ^ a b "Oral History interview of Mehrangiz Dowlatshahi". Foundation for Iranian Studies. Bethesda, MD. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  11. ^ "About us". International Council of Women. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  12. ^ Hamideh Sedghi (2007). Women and Politics in Iran: Veiling, Unveiling, and Reveiling. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 159. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511510380. ISBN 9780511510380.
  13. ^ a b "Mehrangiz Dolatshahi, who struggled for the ratification of the "Family Support Law" in 1967". The Feminist School. 23 October 2008. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  14. ^ "Working in politics and the police". The Times. No. 57349. 6 September 1968. p. 15. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  15. ^ a b Darius Kadivar (6 September 2010). "Mehrangiz Dolatshahi First Woman Ambassador of Imperial Iran (1960)". Iranian. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  16. ^ Official Report of Debates. Vol. II. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. 1980. p. 681. GGKEY:49S8UY2XXFL.
  17. ^ "Fairfax County home sales". The Washington Post. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  18. ^ "The Woman of the Year. Past awardees". IWSF. Archived from the original on 12 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
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