Muṭāli̒āt-i tārīkh-i farhangī(Cultural History Studies)

The Indigenous Women’s Narrative of Kharg on the Relationship Between Tradition and Modernity in the Development of the Oil Industry

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Hasan Allahyari 1
Abbasi Somayeh 2

1 Associate professor, Department of History, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran

2 PhD graduate in Iranian History, University of Tarbiat Modarres, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/chs.2025.509499.1085
Abstract
The discovery and export of oil in recent decades led to the industrialization of Kharg Island, imposing massive transformations on the lives of its indigenous community. Acknowledging the overlooked adaptation of the native people to these changes—particularly their impact on women—this study primarily attempts to examine the influence of the oil industry on the transition of entire indigenous society in Kharg from tradition to modernity. To achieve this in-depth understanding, a descriptive-analytical approach was adopted, utilizing oral history methodology based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with seven elderly indigenous women as their narratives, as the voices of the subaltern, provide a comprehensive insight into the transformations of the entire society, revealing hidden dimensions of these changes through a gender studies lens inspired by Joan Scott’s approach. The findings indicate that the establishment of the oil industry resulted in a more open social environment, changes in lifestyle (including food and clothing), the introduction of technology in the cultural sphere, and fundamental shifts in business and economic prosperity. This research also highlights the differing impacts of industrialization on men and women, as well as the contrast in their status during the Pahlavi and Islamic Republic eras.

Keywords

Kharg
oil industry
women
indigenous people
tradition and modernity
gender
subaltern
narrative
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  • Receive Date 28 February 2025
  • Revise Date 03 July 2025
  • Accept Date 14 July 2025
  • Publish Date 19 February 2025

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