Regulating female embodiment as disciplining citizens: the biopolitics of Islamic governance in Iran and Afghanistan

Abstract

This paper examines the connection between Islam as episteme and the politics of the body, particularly the regulation of women’s embodiment. It argues that Islamic governance, influenced by both Shia and Sunni interpretations, heavily regulates female embodiment to extend social and political control, often at the expense of individual freedoms. Employing a synthesis of theoretical frameworks, including Foucault, Bourdieu, and Elias, with emphasis on Bourdieu, the study examines urban Hijab propaganda billboards in Iran and Afghanistan through visual semiotics to highlight how Islamic governance uses normalization and control of citizens’ bodies with focus on Hijab to exert power, discipline citizens, and establish their vision of a pious and stable Islamic society. This bodily regulation represents a significant impact of Islamic governance, eroding individual and social rights. By analyzing billboards, the study identifies mechanisms used to regulate bodies, highlighting Iran and Afghanistan’s policies as representative of political Islamic governance models in the Muslim world.