Anthropology Women of Deh Koh: Term Paper

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For example, consider the phenomenon of the evil eye. Among this rural Iranian community, the evil eye represented a kind of gaze that could be cast-sometimes intentionally and sometimes not -- that can cause harm to others. The evil eye is a common concept throughout the Middle East and in many other communities. In the modern world, most consider the evil eye to be little more the ridiculous superstition. However, for the women of Deh Koh, the evil is very real and affects their behavior and reactions to life events.

Specifically, consider the matter of Simin's pregnancy. Once discovered, news of the upcoming birth spread rapidly throughout the community. The other women with whom Simin was close quickly presented her with all manner of charms and practices that they felt would best insure the health (and gender, for that matter) of the child. Simin's own mother "brought a bag with seeds of wild rue, a powerful agent against the evil eye, which she had bought on a pilgrimage to the south, where the plant grew" (Friedl 140). In this statement alone we see the power that a belief in the evil eye had on the behavior of these women.

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The evil eye was a real threat that had to be warded off to protect the life of a baby. Additionally, belief in the evil eye found Simin's mother purchasing an herbal remedy for it from far in the south. This woman was willing to spend what little money she had in addition to considerable time and effort to procure protection from the effects of the evil eye. In this culture, the evil eye obviously has a powerful influence on behavior.

Finally, I would like to mention some of my own critical observations concerning this text. My own impression of Friedl's work was that it was immensely accessible and gave readers a powerful -- if not wholly objective -- glimpse into the lives of women in this Iranian village. Friedl's quasi-fictionalized accounts of everyday events in the lives of these women provided important insights into the place of women in Iranian culture. It is a series of examinations of the ways in which women are adapting to the changes that are occurring in Iranian culture.

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