The Story of the Daughters of Quchan

The Story of the Daughters of Quchan: Gender and National Memory in Iranian History is a 1998 political history book written by Afsaneh Najmabadi. It explores a 1905 occurrence human trafficking in Iran. "The Daughters of Quchan" refers to a group of about two hundred fifty girls from the district of Quchan, who were kidnapped and sold by the local government in lieu of a tax.

Synopsis

This story is an example of one of the many unjust acts by both the provincial governments and the national Qajar Regime which led to the Constitutional Revolution. In the province of Quchan, the provincial governor, Asaf al-Dawlah, set a flat tax for all of the people, regardless of their income. The poor could not afford to pay this tax, due to a bad harvest, and the only way they could raise the money was to sell their daughters to the elite Turkmen or to nomads. Turkmen also began raiding the village and capturing the women. When the citizens begged for payment postponement, they were shot and killed by provincial government officials.

About two hundred and fifty girls had been sold and they became known as “The Daughters of Quchan”. This incident portrays Iranian women as being “objects of traffic” and clearly speaks to the issue of poverty and the social injustice people faced under this government. The people of Quchan went to the central government to protest and ask for help. Finally an investigator was sent to Quchan, who was bribed by the provincial governor, and did not report the inequality to the central government. The citizens went back to the central government again to protest and eventually the issue was resolved. This story was published in newspapers all over Iran and caused a public outcry for social justice and a parliamentary government. Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i, one of the most prominent philosophers of the time, was particularly irate and argued that the government was not addressing the needs of the people:

"Have you not heard the tale of Quchan where they had a bad harvest last year? Each Quchani Muslim had to pay three dozen kilos of wheat in lieu of taxes. They did not have it and nobody helped them out. Instead of wheat, the local ruler took three hundred Muslim daughters, counted each daughter for three dozen kilos of wheat, and sold them to the Turkmens. Some of the daughters were separated from their mothers while they were asleep, because the poor souls would not consent to be separated. Now tell me in all fairness! Can you imagine a worse oppression? Every place is in ruins."(88)^[1]

It also showed how effective newspapers were at relaying information across the country as many Iranians sympathized for those in Quchan and would join the cause in protesting for a constitutional government. Asaf al-Dawlah and many of his high ranking officials were put on trial under the new regime in 1906 and there were multiple efforts made to get the girls back from the Turkmens. While some girls were rescued and brought back to their paternal families, the majority of girls were not found. “The Daughters of Quchan” is one of many events which were instrumental to promoting the Constitutional Revolution as the Iranian citizens began to realize that they were tired of living under an oppressive government.

References

1. ^ Najmabadi

• Najmabadi, Afsaneh. "'Is Our Name Remembered?': Writing the History of Iranian Constitutionalism as If Women and Gender Mattered", Iranian Studies, Vol. 29, No. 1/2 (Winter-Spring, 1996), pp. 85–109.