The dominant discourse over women’s education in high school text books (1320-1345 S.H)

With the rise of the Pahlavid dynasty, the modern education of women became a necessity for the innovation project in Iran. Therefore, women education became pivotal in the discourse of modernization advocated by the Pahlavid dynasty. Due to the political standoff as a result of Reza Shah’s exit from Iran, the modern education for women underwent discourse turmoil. With the empowering of the rival discourses and their arrival on the political scene, the dominant discourse for women education lost its vigor and the central focus of innovation which was predominant in Reza Shah’s era lost its force. This led to the formation of the concept of “Muslim Woman” versus “Modern Woman”. This historical era, regarding the education of women, is the time of the formation of policies and educational programs which finally led to the educational revolution in 1345 S.H. This Study employing the traditional continuity concept in history through a descriptive – analytical approach intends to survey the plans, and the pace of the changes in girls’ educational programs as reflected in high school text books, in order to identify the identity of women and their role in the modernization of Iran.Key Terms: Women education, Innovation, Educational policies, Mohammad Reza Shah