Zeinab Pasha: From the Bread Riots to the Tobacco Movement
Zeinab Pasha and Women in Qajar Iran
To understand why Zeinab Pasha was so extraordinary, it is necessary to understand the social environment in which she lived.
The Qajar period was characterized by profound political, economic and social inequality. Iran’s economy depended heavily on agriculture, local markets and long-distance trade. Foreign powers, particularly Britain and Russia, exercised significant influence over Iranian affairs.
Women had extremely limited access to formal political power.
There was no modern parliamentary system in which women could vote or serve as elected representatives. Women’s education was restricted, and public political participation was largely associated with men.
Nevertheless, women were not absent from Iranian social and economic life.
Women participated in household economies, agricultural production, craft production, religious gatherings, markets and neighborhood networks. During periods of crisis, these networks could become the foundation for collective political action.
This is particularly important in understanding Zeinab Pasha.
Her activism did not begin in a parliament.
It began among ordinary people.
Her political arena was the bazaar.
Her allies were merchants, workers, women, clerics and residents of Tabriz.
And her causes were immediate: food, economic survival, opposition to foreign concessions and resistance to arbitrary authority.
