Research Paper: Primary Sources Brainstorm

This topic really interests me because it is a part of my culture and is about my gender. I think it is really interesting to see how women are viewed and what opportunities they have during times of war. I have found that in  many cases women can either be welcomed with war and be brought more opportunities or they could be restricted even further due to war.

The primary sources that I will be using for my research topic will be:

Women without Men directed by Shirin Neshat

I might use this film as my primary source because I enjoy analyzing film and seeing how the techniques used affect the message the film is trying to get across. I also chose this film because it is about four women's personal struggles with the men in their lives but these struggles seem to be due to the culture they live in and this culture of violence seems to have moved from the streets to the privacy of their homes.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

I might use this animated film or the graphic novel because it leads the audience on Satrapi's life as she grew up in Iran and the restrictions that she has due to the fact that she is of the female gender. This film and the narrative are very interesting to me because I had read Satrapi's first narrative that the film was based on and as I remember I really enjoyed reading the book.

An interview with my mother

I also thought about interviewing my mother for this research topic. I want to interview my mother because she had lived in Iran until she was sixteen and I believe that she would have some insight and experiences on the restrictions that women had faced during the Iranian revolution.