Banoo: Iranian Women and Their Stories

The photographic series Banoo by Samaneh Khosravi (b. 1984) addresses the position of women in Iran today. Despite decades of oppression by a male-dominated society, women are steadily gaining ground in science and the world of work. In order to obtain insight into the situation of women in Iran and how they see themselves, the Iranian-German photographer accompanied protagonists from various different social strata and locations in Iran through their everyday lives. The resulting images show women who, contrary to the official government dogma, are an integral part of social life and are already paving the way for a new generation that will continue to stand up for dignity and the right to personal self-determination in the future. The term Banoo is a word used to refer to women that indicates respect and means “lady.”