Women Studies

Women Studies

An Analysis of the Absence of Feminist Geography in Iranian Geography

Document Type : -

Authors
1 M.A in Political Geography, Faculty of Geography, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran
2 Ph.D in Political Geography, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
3 Asian Cultural Documentation Center, the Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran
10.30465/ws.2026.52738.4471
Abstract
Feminist geography is one of the most important theoretical and applied approaches in geography, as in recent decades it has successfully influenced the education, research, and application of this discipline in sustainable development through its critical theories and perspectives. Despite nearly four decades since the introduction of feminist geography, this domain has not only failed to gain a status commensurate with its importance in Iranian geography, but in practice, there is also no tangible trace of this geographical discourse in scientific studies within Iran. This article employs the methodologies of hermeneutic phenomenology and feminist geography to analyze the reasons for the absence of feminist geography in Iranian geographical studies. The research demonstrates that the absence of feminist geography in Iranian geographical literature can be attributed to two key factors: knowledge-power dynamics and the dominance of positivist approaches in geographical science. The structures of scientific power and the excessive reliance on quantitative and positivist approaches in Iranian geography have not only marginalized feminist geography but have also pushed other critical theories as well as historical-social geographical researches to the periphery of geographical studies in Iran which ultimately weakens the foundations of geography and its application in the sustainable development of Iran.
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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 16 June 2026

  • Receive Date 12 August 2025
  • Revise Date 09 November 2025
  • Accept Date 11 January 2026