Quarterly Journal of Social Development (Previously Human Development)

Quarterly Journal of Social Development (Previously Human Development)

Representation of the Semantic System of Women's Non-Movements in Deylam Port: A Contextual Research

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Asiyeh Esmaeilifard 1
Esfandiar Ghafarinasab 2
Halimeh Enayat 3
Mansour Tabiee 4
1 PhD Student, Department of Sociology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
3 Professor, Department of Sociology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
4 Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
10.22055/qjsd.2026.50174.3106
Abstract
This research represents the semantic system of women's non-movements based on the interpretive paradigm and qualitative methodology and analyzes the role of women's agency in the traditional context of this society. The method used was grounded theory and the study population was women in the port city of Deylam. The data collection tool was in-depth interviews and sampling with the snowball method and was theoretical and purposeful, which was achieved after 13 interviews. The data were analyzed using open, axial and selective coding methods. The results show that the Deylami women's non-movement has been formed around the core category of "hidden agency in the heart of tradition". Using the theories of "Agency" by Anthony Giddens, "Cultural Transition" by Ronald Inglehart, and "Gender Identity" by Judith Butler, the present study has identified five key categories: "Women's Identity Duality (Feminine Essence and Identity)", "The Emergence of New Feminine Agency", "The Dominance of Patriarchal Ideology and Hegemony of Male Domination", "Cultural and Media Triggers in Changing Women's Lifestyles and Self-Consciousness", and "Women's Challenges in Facing Modernity and Tradition". The findings show that despite structural limitations, women in Bandar Deylam dynamically redefine their agency within tradition and, through a complex encounter with tradition and modernity, form new gender and identity roles. This study emphasizes that women's agency in this context is a combination of resistance, adaptation, and innovation, the representation of which can help to better understand cultural and social transformation in similar societies.
Keywords
Women's Non-Movement
Deylam Port
Women's Agency
Identity Transformation
Modernity
Subjects
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Quarterly Journal of Social Development (Previously Human Development)
Volume 20, Issue 2 - Serial Number 78
Vol. 20, No. 2, Winter 2025
Winter 2026
Pages 231-260