Analyzing the Politics of Virtue and Vice in the Field of Women in Herat of Afghanistan and Azerbaijan of Iran With a Critical Criminology Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, Mashhad

2 PhD Student in Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, Mashhad

10.22091/dclic.2026.15071.1143

Abstract

In Herat, Afghanistan and some areas of Azerbaijan, Iran, women are influenced by a set of social, cultural, and legal rules, norms, and policies that affect various aspects of their individual and social lives. In the meantime, the policies of virtue and vice refer to a set of formal and informal rules that define acceptable and unacceptable patterns of behavior for women through family, community and government institutions. This study aims to answer the question, “What impact do the policies of virtue and vice have on women’s lives in Herat, Afghanistan, and Azerbaijan, Iran, and how do they play a role in shaping social order and women’s rights?” For this purpose, phenomenological methods and data analysis with a gender-based criminology approach were used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 35 women from Herat of Afghanistan and Azerbaijan of Iran. The analyses conducted have revealed the experiences of limitation, violence, resistance, and individual and social agency of women in these two societies. The findings indicate that the politics of virtue in both societies includes a set of behaviors and actions that legitimize women’s conformity to existing orders. In contrast, the politics of vice in both societies includes actions that formalize women’s independence, choice and presence in public, educational and professional arenas.

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References

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Criminal Law Doctrines of Islamic Countries
Volume 3, Issue 2 - Serial Number 10
Summer 2026
June 2026
Pages 57-97

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