A genealogical study of the emergence of kindergartens in Iran: an intersectional approach
-
Narges Sadat Sajjadieh [1] ; Zsuzsa Millei [2]
-
[1] University of Tehran
University of Tehran
Irán
-
[2] University of Gothenburg
University of Gothenburg
Suecia
-
- Localización: Paedagogica Historica: International journal of the history of education, ISSN 0030-9230, Vol. 60, Nº. 3, 2024 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Researching Narratives in History of Education), págs. 529-546
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
-
Resumen
There are histories describing in detail the development of early child-hood education (ECE) around the world, yet not enough is knownabout this in the Middle East and the information on the origins ofECE in Iran is scarce and fragmentary. This article is the first of its kind topresent an overview of the main developments rendering possible theestablishment of the first kindergartens in Iran. In our account, weconnect this genealogy of early childhood education in Iran to varioustrajectories: 1) the work of intellectual reformers; 2) the Iranian feministmovement; 3) the Constitutional Revolution in Iran (1906–1911); 4)religious reformist beliefs in Shia; 5) the missionaries’ schools; 6) theArmenians’ schools and 7) the age of girls’ marriage. As we demon-strate, early childhood education in Iran emerged before the industrialrevolution. It was mainly provided for intellectual and influentialfamilies, focused on physical education accompanied by music, whilereligious education was marginal. Our genealogical explorations indi-cate that compared to kindergartens in Britain and Europe, Iranian earlychildhood education has been an instrument for intellectual societalreform. It was the fruits of a transplanted tree nourished by various localcultural-socio-political trends and religious beliefs. The paper con-cludes with an assessment of the importance of local and internationalinfluences on the emergence of early childhood education and theneed to explore this history with an intersectional approach.
