Bio: Shireen Mahdavi

Shireen Mahdavi She received her bachelor¹s degrees in 1961 from the London School of Economics in political science and social anthropology. In 1982 she went back to school to receive her M.A. in history from the University of Utah. This led to further study and a Ph.D. from the University of London in 1996. Her work experience in Iran includes Assistant Professor at the Institute of Social Research; Special Advisor to the Princess Ashraf Pahlavi Organization, in which capacity she researched and proposed the formation of the Women's Organization of Iran; and Iranian delegate to the Commission on Human Rights at the United Nations (1968). In addition, she represented Iranian women on International Women¹s Day in the Soviet Union, and was responsible for budget of several social welfare agencies. Dr. Mahdavi is a well-known writer and researcher and has published many books and articles, including: "Women and the Shii Ulama in Iran" (1983), ³Women Behind the Veil" (1984), "Women and Ideas in Qajar Iran" (1985), "The Position of Women in Shi`a Iran² (1985). "Captivity, Rebellion, and Rebirth" (1985), "Taj al-Saltaneh, an Emancipated Qajar Princess" (1987), "Shawhar Ahu Khanum: Passion, Polygamy and Tragedy" (1988), "Social Mobility in Qajar Iran" (1990), "Iranian Women: Past and Future" (1992), "Women, Shiism and Cuisine in Iran" (1992). "Women, Customs and Ideas in Qajar Iran" (1994), "The Structure and Function of the Household of a Qajar Merchant" (1999), "Qajar Art and Society" (1991), ³For God Mammon and Country² (1999).

Abstract

The Transition of the Household of an Isfahani 'Sarraf' to a Tehrani merchant: Structure, Function and Relations Therein

This paper will portray and compare two households of different economic and social status at different times and in different places. The model will be the household in Isfahan in which Haj Muhammad Hassan Amin al-Zarb grew up in 1830's and his household in Tehran before his death in 1898 by which time he had become the most important big merchant and entrepreneur in Iran. The paper will explore every aspect of daily life, available from the sources, ranging from the houses in which they live, the food they ate, the methods of obtaining provisions and the roles of every member of the extended family and the household staff if any. The primary source used will be the Mahdavi archives in Iran which will be supplemented by other relevant primary sources such as memoirs and histories of the period.