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This book uses storytelling as an analytical tool for following wider social attitude changes towards sex and female sexuality in Iran. Women born in 1950s Iran grew up during the peak of secularization and modernization, whereas those born in the 1980s were raised under the much stricter rules of the Islamic Republic. Using extensive ethnographic research, the author juxtaposes narratives of body and sexuality shared by these different generations of women, showing the intricate ways in which women construct and convey meanings and communicate their emotions about the unspoken aspects of their lives.

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1. Introduction
Background of the Context: The Two Generations Youth, Sexuality and the Islamic State Research Method and Fieldwork Encounters The Interview Process The Issue of Trust and Confidentiality Positionality Mapping the Fieldwork
2. Conceptual Framework

Introduction The Emerging Concern: Demystifying Women´s Passive Subordination Power and Resistance Framework The Limits of Binary Analysis: Redefining Resistance and Agency
3. Learning Sexuality

Introduction Population Policies and the Topic of Sex Globalised Media: New Sources of Learning Sexuality The Question of ´Normality´ The Post-Revolutionary Discourse of Sexuality The Religious Discourse and Women´s Perception of Sex Combining Hadith with Science Conclusion
4. Narratives of Virginity

Introduction Socialising Women about Virginity The Social Aspects of Virginity Virginity as a Bargaining Tool Losing Virginity: The Younger Generation´s Experience Confirming Bride´s Virginity and Changes in Social Customs The Blood-Stained ´Dastmâl´ The ´Bride´s Health Certificate´ Hymen-Repair Surgeries and Fake Virginity Conclusion
5. Narratives of Menstruation

Introduction Menstrual Body The Construction of Shame Medicalizing Menstruation: Knowledge versus Tradition Menarche and the Ritual of Slapping Naturalizing Menstruation Keeping the Secret Appropriating Restrictions Conclusion
6. Narratives of Marriage
Introduction Different Approaches, Different Expectations Marriage in Time of the Revolution Politicised Widowhood and Marital Relations Family and Marriage Arrangements Marriage for Post-Revolutionary Generations Temporary Marriage Divorce Conclusion
7. Conclusion
Contextualising Women´s Narratives of Sexuality in Iran and its Theoretical Implications Moving Beyond the Binary of Resistance/Subordination

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Nafiseh Sharifi is Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Gender Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK.

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