Women's Studies
Behrouz Roustakhiz; Atiyeh Azarshab; Emilia Nercissians
Abstract
Unlike many previous studies that have been inspired by some kind of medical and pathological discourse to investigate the consequences of hookah and tobacco use on consumer’s health, the purpose of the present study is to understand the semantic implications of this phenomenon Among Baloch women ...
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Unlike many previous studies that have been inspired by some kind of medical and pathological discourse to investigate the consequences of hookah and tobacco use on consumer’s health, the purpose of the present study is to understand the semantic implications of this phenomenon Among Baloch women residing in Damen village of Iranshahr city. In view of the main issue of the research and the most important goal outlined, in the methodological dimension we have also adopted a qualitative approach appropriate to anthropological work, namely “ethnography”. Finally, the findings show that the tendency to use hookah among the study population is not merely an individual tendency and it’s not anti-social and abnormal. Rather, it must be seen along special cultural contexts that have unique semantic implications. This topic is discussed in the following six categories: 1) Hookah using and continuation of traditions; 2) Hookah consumption, affirmation and social identification; 3) Hookah using, redemption of tension and woman’s agency; 4) Hookah using and leisure; 5) Hookah using and treatment of disease; 6) Hookah using, strengthening and maintaining of group cohesion.
