Sattareh Farman Farmaian
Encyclopedia
Sattāreh Farmānfarmā'iān (1921-) is one of the daughters of Persian
nobleman Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma
of the Qajar dynasty.
Sattareh Farman-Farmaian, daughter of Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma
(ca.1858-1939), prince of the Qajar dynasty
, and Massumeh (third wife of eight), was born in Shiraz
, Iran
, in 1921, the fifteenth of thirty-six children (and third of nine children by her mother Massumeh). She had four brothers (Farough, Ghaffar, Rashid, and Sabbar
) and four sisters (Jabbareh "Jaby", Homy, Sory, and Korshid).
Farman-Farmaian attended the Tarbiat School, a Bahá'í school
in Tehran
until its closing in 1933 by Reza Shah Pahlavi. Beginning in 1933, she attended the American School for Girls in the Presbyterian missionary compound in Tehran, renamed the Nurbaksh School. In 1943 she was accepted to Heidelberg College
in Tiffin
, Ohio
, obtaining a visa to the United States in 1944. That year she left Tehran, travelling through India, and first attempted to sail to the United States from Bombay, but her ship was torpedoed and she and her fellow passengers were rescued by British destroyers who returned them to Bombay. Her second attempt to leave India was aboard the United States Navy troopship, U.S.S. General Butler, arriving in Los Angeles
on July 4, 1944. The following day Dr. Samuel M. Jordan
(who had been involved with the American School in Tehran
) met her in Los Angeles and convinced the admissions director of the University of Southern California
to admit her. Farman-Farmaian was the first Iranian to attend and graduate from the University of Southern California, completing her B.A. in sociology (February 1946) and her M. S. W. (June 1948). Following graduation in 1948, she took a job in Los Angeles at the International Institute, a settlement house for Asians and other immigrants. In 1948, she also married a University of Southern California film student from India, Arun Chaudhuri, and in 1949 gave birth to her daughter, Mitra. In 1952, her husband returned to India in an attempt to find film work through family connections. Several months later, he wrote to tell her he was unable to find work and, in effect, was deserting her.
Farman-Farmaian left Los Angeles
in September 1952 for New York
, where two of her brothers lived, and took a job at Cities Service Oil, one of the companies that had been approached to assist Iran in selling its newly nationalized oil. In 1954, she left this position and accepted a two-year renewable position with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a social welfare consultant to the government of Iraq, attempting to settle nomadic Arabic tribes in the desert. In the same year, with the assistance of a Cities Service Oil attorney, she applied for and was granted a divorce from Arun Chaudhuri. In June 1954 she left first for Tehran
to visit her family, and then for Iraq
to take on her new position. She had been able to keep her daughter Mitra with her for the first year in Bagdad, but, realizing that her work would take her to the desert, decided to send her to Dartington Hall
in Devon
shire, England
, for her education.
In 1958, Farman-Farmaian returned to Tehran
to open a private two-year school to train social workers, the Tehran School of Social Work, and served as its director. The school was the first of its kind in Iran. Soon after, she assisted in the founding of the Family Planning Association of Iran which, with assistance from the Pathfinder Fund (now Pathfinder International
), attempted to educate young mothers on family planning and the use of birth control in accordance with Islamic law. In the fall of 1958 she was called for an interview with Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who himself pledged funds for the support of the school. In 1962 she was awarded the Alumni Award of Merit by the University of Southern California
. Following the 1963 riots in which many protested the jailing of Ruhollah Khomeini
(later Ayatollah Khomeini) and over two hundred were injured or killed by the military, the Tehran School of Social Work, was asked by Premier Asadollah Alam
to identify the families of victims so that reparations could be paid. As a result of the school's successful effort, it received a regular budget from the government and was able to move to a more suitable building. In 1966 the school built the first of many Community Welfare Centers, partially funded by Empress Farah, at which classes in literacy, child care, nutrition, and women's health and hygiene were offered, each containing a family planning clinic. By 1972, Farman-Farmaian had attained a position on the board of the International Association of Schools of Social Work and had become a vice president of the International Planned Parenthood Federation
through which she became a member of the "Forward Look Study" task force and the International Planned Parenthood Federation special mission to China. In addition, she served as a delegate to the Bucharest Population Conference (1974), the Tehran International Human Rights Conference (1975), and the Mexico International Conference for Women's Year (1976). She continued as director of the Tehran School of Social Work until 1979, when political upheaval forced her to flee the country.
From 1980 to 1992 she worked for Children's Services at the Los Angeles County Department of Social Services. In 1993, she received the Silver Achievement Award from the Greater Los Angeles YWCA and special commendations from both the County and City of Los Angeles. In addition to her autobiography, Daughter of Persia: A Woman's Journey from Her Father's Harem through the Islamic Revolution (1992), which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, she published "Social Work as Social Development: A Case History" (1996), On the Other Side of the China Wall (1977), "Early Marriage and Pregnancy in Traditional Islamic Society" (1975), Prostitution Problems in the City of Tehran (1969), Children and Teachers (1966), Country Profile of Iranian Family Planning and Social Welfare (1965), and Children's Needs (1960). She has lectured widely worldwide and in 1997 established a website to publicize and facilitate discussion of her autobiography.
Sattareh Farman Farmaian is the author of Daughter of Persia: A Woman's Journey from Her Father's Harem Through the Islamic Revolution.
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
nobleman Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma
Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma
Prince Abdol-Hossein Mirza was one of the most prominent Qajar princes, and one of the most influential politicians of his time in Persia. He was born to Prince Nosrat Dowleh Firouz Mirza 1859, and died in November 1939 at the age of 80. He was the 16th grandson of the Qajar crown prince Abbas...
of the Qajar dynasty.
Sattareh Farman-Farmaian, daughter of Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma
Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma
Prince Abdol-Hossein Mirza was one of the most prominent Qajar princes, and one of the most influential politicians of his time in Persia. He was born to Prince Nosrat Dowleh Firouz Mirza 1859, and died in November 1939 at the age of 80. He was the 16th grandson of the Qajar crown prince Abbas...
(ca.1858-1939), prince of the Qajar dynasty
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty was an Iranian royal family of Turkic descent who ruled Persia from 1785 to 1925....
, and Massumeh (third wife of eight), was born in Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz may refer to:* Shiraz, Iran, a city in Iran* Shiraz County, an administrative subdivision of Iran* Vosketap, Armenia, formerly called ShirazPeople:* Hovhannes Shiraz, Armenian poet* Ara Shiraz, Armenian sculptor...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, in 1921, the fifteenth of thirty-six children (and third of nine children by her mother Massumeh). She had four brothers (Farough, Ghaffar, Rashid, and Sabbar
Sabar Mirza Farman Farmaian
Sabar Mirza Farman Farmaian The first son of Persian Qajar nobleman Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma through Masoumeh Khanoum.born in 1912, Tehran. He quickly decided on medicine, becoming a doctor and specialising in malaria and studying it to great extent.He was a staunch supporter of Mossadegh...
) and four sisters (Jabbareh "Jaby", Homy, Sory, and Korshid).
Farman-Farmaian attended the Tarbiat School, a Bahá'í school
Bahá'í school
A Bahá'í school at its simplest would be a school run officially by the Bahá'í institutions in its jurisdiction and may be a local class or set of classes, normally run weekly where children get together to study about Bahá'í teachings, Bahá'í central figures, or Bahá'í administration...
in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
until its closing in 1933 by Reza Shah Pahlavi. Beginning in 1933, she attended the American School for Girls in the Presbyterian missionary compound in Tehran, renamed the Nurbaksh School. In 1943 she was accepted to Heidelberg College
Heidelberg College
Heidelberg University is a private liberal arts college located in the city of Tiffin, Ohio in the U.S. state of Ohio. Founded in 1850, it was known as Heidelberg College until 1889 and from 1926 to 2009.- History :...
in Tiffin
Tiffin
Tiffin is lunch, or any light meal. It originated in British India, and is today found primarily in Indian English. The word originated when Indian custom superseded the British practice of an afternoon tea, leading to a new word for the afternoon meal. It is derived from the obsolete English slang...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, obtaining a visa to the United States in 1944. That year she left Tehran, travelling through India, and first attempted to sail to the United States from Bombay, but her ship was torpedoed and she and her fellow passengers were rescued by British destroyers who returned them to Bombay. Her second attempt to leave India was aboard the United States Navy troopship, U.S.S. General Butler, arriving in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on July 4, 1944. The following day Dr. Samuel M. Jordan
Samuel M. Jordan
Dr. Samuel Martin Jordan was an American presbyterian missionary in Persia .He is sometimes referred to as the "father of modern education in Iran," though Amir Kabir is generally thought to be more deserving of this title, and indeed within Iran, the title refers to Amir Kabir.After graduating...
(who had been involved with the American School in Tehran
Alborz High School
Alborz High School , is a college preparatory high school located in the heart of Tehran, Iran. It is named after the Alborz mountain range north of Tehran.- History :...
) met her in Los Angeles and convinced the admissions director of the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
to admit her. Farman-Farmaian was the first Iranian to attend and graduate from the University of Southern California, completing her B.A. in sociology (February 1946) and her M. S. W. (June 1948). Following graduation in 1948, she took a job in Los Angeles at the International Institute, a settlement house for Asians and other immigrants. In 1948, she also married a University of Southern California film student from India, Arun Chaudhuri, and in 1949 gave birth to her daughter, Mitra. In 1952, her husband returned to India in an attempt to find film work through family connections. Several months later, he wrote to tell her he was unable to find work and, in effect, was deserting her.
Farman-Farmaian left Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in September 1952 for New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where two of her brothers lived, and took a job at Cities Service Oil, one of the companies that had been approached to assist Iran in selling its newly nationalized oil. In 1954, she left this position and accepted a two-year renewable position with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a social welfare consultant to the government of Iraq, attempting to settle nomadic Arabic tribes in the desert. In the same year, with the assistance of a Cities Service Oil attorney, she applied for and was granted a divorce from Arun Chaudhuri. In June 1954 she left first for Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
to visit her family, and then for Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
to take on her new position. She had been able to keep her daughter Mitra with her for the first year in Bagdad, but, realizing that her work would take her to the desert, decided to send her to Dartington Hall
Dartington Hall
The Dartington Hall Trust, near Totnes, Devon, United Kingdom is a charity specialising in the arts, social justice and sustainability.The Trust currently runs 16 charitable programmes, including The Dartington International Summer School and Schumacher Environmental College...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, for her education.
In 1958, Farman-Farmaian returned to Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
to open a private two-year school to train social workers, the Tehran School of Social Work, and served as its director. The school was the first of its kind in Iran. Soon after, she assisted in the founding of the Family Planning Association of Iran which, with assistance from the Pathfinder Fund (now Pathfinder International
Pathfinder International
Pathfinder International is based in Watertown, Massachusetts and is a global non-profit organization , that focuses on reproductive health, family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, women and girls empowerment, and more. Under the leadership of Daniel E...
), attempted to educate young mothers on family planning and the use of birth control in accordance with Islamic law. In the fall of 1958 she was called for an interview with Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who himself pledged funds for the support of the school. In 1962 she was awarded the Alumni Award of Merit by the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. Following the 1963 riots in which many protested the jailing of Ruhollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Khomeini
Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini was an Iranian religious leader and politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran...
(later Ayatollah Khomeini) and over two hundred were injured or killed by the military, the Tehran School of Social Work, was asked by Premier Asadollah Alam
Asadollah Alam
Amir Asadollah Alam was an Iranian politician who was Prime Minister from 1962 to 1964. He was also Minister of Royal Court, President of Pahlavi University and Governor of Sistan and Baluchestan Province.-Early life:...
to identify the families of victims so that reparations could be paid. As a result of the school's successful effort, it received a regular budget from the government and was able to move to a more suitable building. In 1966 the school built the first of many Community Welfare Centers, partially funded by Empress Farah, at which classes in literacy, child care, nutrition, and women's health and hygiene were offered, each containing a family planning clinic. By 1972, Farman-Farmaian had attained a position on the board of the International Association of Schools of Social Work and had become a vice president of the International Planned Parenthood Federation
International Planned Parenthood Federation
The International Planned Parenthood Federation is a global non-governmental organization with the broad aims of promoting sexual and reproductive health, and advocating the right of individuals to make their own choices in family planning. It was first formed in 1952 in Bombay, India, and now...
through which she became a member of the "Forward Look Study" task force and the International Planned Parenthood Federation special mission to China. In addition, she served as a delegate to the Bucharest Population Conference (1974), the Tehran International Human Rights Conference (1975), and the Mexico International Conference for Women's Year (1976). She continued as director of the Tehran School of Social Work until 1979, when political upheaval forced her to flee the country.
From 1980 to 1992 she worked for Children's Services at the Los Angeles County Department of Social Services. In 1993, she received the Silver Achievement Award from the Greater Los Angeles YWCA and special commendations from both the County and City of Los Angeles. In addition to her autobiography, Daughter of Persia: A Woman's Journey from Her Father's Harem through the Islamic Revolution (1992), which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, she published "Social Work as Social Development: A Case History" (1996), On the Other Side of the China Wall (1977), "Early Marriage and Pregnancy in Traditional Islamic Society" (1975), Prostitution Problems in the City of Tehran (1969), Children and Teachers (1966), Country Profile of Iranian Family Planning and Social Welfare (1965), and Children's Needs (1960). She has lectured widely worldwide and in 1997 established a website to publicize and facilitate discussion of her autobiography.
Sattareh Farman Farmaian is the author of Daughter of Persia: A Woman's Journey from Her Father's Harem Through the Islamic Revolution.
External links
- The Qajar (Kadjar) Pages
- Qajars Dynasty Turkoman dynasty of the Shahs of Persia