Literary Interdisciplinary Research

Women's narration of the social problems of the Qashqai nomad in the 80s: Narrative analysis of the collection of children's stories, Rasm ma va Sahm Ma

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Somayeh Sadat Shafiei 1
Zeinab Barzegari 2

1 Associate research professor of Sociology, Departement of Social Studies, Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran

2 Ma of Persian Literature , Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies

https://doi.org/10.30465/lir.2024.49791.1904
Abstract
Introduction
The study of the social status of Iranian nomadic communities is one of the social science topics that is generally less visible in the light of the developments in urban and metropolitan society. Meanwhile, institutional and interpersonal relationships and structures, culture, and teachings are present as a social reality in the daily lives of their actors. In historical review, it can be seen that the study of their situation, by adopting a specialized sociological approach and sensitivity to issues such as social issues, education, health, gender relations, and development, has been far less successful. As a result, specialized knowledge has not been able to and cannot follow a sequential view of the developments in their situation in the process of social history research. Meanwhile, fictional prose, especially by incorporating elements of realism, can be somewhat successful in reporting the situation. As a result, although the story is based on the author's perceptions, and experiences, it also contains elements of the lived experiences of the direct actors and reflects the situation that has occurred. By asking about the status of nomadic communities in Iran in less than half a century ago, the present research explores the children's stories of a female writer who won the Iranian Council Children's Book Award in 1984. The question is that the stories that the author acknowledges; Mahdokht Kashkoli is derived from reality, what report does it give about the situation and social problems affecting the Qashqai tribe? What view do these stories present of social relations within the family and gender relations?
Materials & Methods
The qualitative research method is based on the analysis of the narrative of five stories of the book Rasm Ma and Sahme Ma.
Discussion & Result
In The first story is about the sacrifice of Qashqai women and their sense of social responsibility and commitment to others, including family members. Sara is a girl who gives her life to weaving carpets, lending her vision and beauty to the carpet. The second story depicts the divide between that part of the nomads who have settled down and those who are still nomadic, as well as the gap between the nomads' generations. The third story is about the harms that a husband's addiction causes to a nomadic family and its members. The fourth story is the story of enmities that continue from generation to generation and put social pressure on the members of the tribe. The final story is about the relationship between nomads and nature and attempts to answer the eternal question of humankind: the extent of ownership.
Conclusion
The findings show that in terms of form, one story is close to memoir writing, one story is in the form of a tale, and the other three stories are in the form of a short story: all manifest a real style. Migration to the cities, stereotypical and sometimes disturbing images of nomads, drought and livelihood effects, lack of institutional support for nomadic social neighbours such as homeless women, the elderly, especially childless women, domestic violence, the domination of traditional societies such as blood-lust, among others. The most important social issues are reported during the stories. Also, narrating the daily life of women includes numerous and difficult mandatory and positive role expectations. At the same time, women are the main protagonists of the stories, and each of the characters is a glorious symbol of a mature, self-reliant, self-respecting, wise, kind, beautiful, patient and hardworking nomadic woman. Men are not holistic. In addition, it should be said that natural elements such as horses, deer, flowers, and plants are non-human but important characters in nomadic life, each of which has its own precise and regular function in the systematic plan of their lives. Women strive the most in relation to these natural elements for their daily lives and those of other members, and overall, they have achieved coexistence and creative interaction with the environment. Finally, it should be added that although it is expected that living in the light of a collective will brings social support, in the first story the little girl and her grandmother are left without support, and in the fourth story people tease the addict's wife and young son. It is as if the kinship system cannot and does not want to provide support to the disadvantaged and socially marginalized.

Keywords

family
migration
child
woman
story
Subjects
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