Journal of Socio-Cultural Studies of Khorasan

Journal of Socio-Cultural Studies of Khorasan

The Heritage of Clothing in South Khorasan: An Ethnographic Study in the Village of Chensht

Authors
Mosareza Gharbi 1
Sayed Ahmad Barabadi 2
Behrouz Roustakhiz 3
1 Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran
2 Anthropologist, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of South Khorasan Province, Birjand, Iran
3 Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/fakh.2025.507377.1718
Abstract
Introduction
Clothing has always played a significant role in the cultural, social, and even political life of the Iranian people. As a result, Iran is home to a rich and diverse heritage of clothing styles, each carrying unique semantic meanings across its cultural regions. However, with the extensive changes Iranian society has undergone in recent times, the identities of many local communities have also evolved, leading to the loss of much of this cultural treasure. Despite this, there are still areas within the country where aspects of Iran's historical clothing practices remain intact. Studying these areas is vital for uncovering and understanding the heritage of Iranian clothing. This study, guided by the theoretical framework of cultural ecology and an environmental approach, explores the various influential and affected aspects of clothing in the village of Chenesht, located in South Khorasan Province.
 
Methodology
This research adopts a qualitative approach for both its design and implementation. In examining women's clothing in the village of Chenesht, a combination of documentary and field methods has been employed, carefully aligning with the research objectives. It is important to note that while ethnographic data play a key role in this study, it is not solely based on fieldwork; some data have also been gathered from written sources. The majority of the ethnographic and field data were collected through interviews with local residents and direct observations made in the village during two distinct time periods: the early 1990s (1995) and 2022.
 
Findings and Conclusion
Despite the transformations in Iranian society and the significant changes in clothing styles, there are still regions within the country where important aspects of the historical experience related to clothing continue to thrive in their social and cultural contexts, retaining their significance within society. Studying the clothing traditions of these regions not only offers insight into their social and cultural characteristics but also presents an opportunity to identify, document, revive, and preserve a vital part of Iran's indigenous knowledge in the field of clothing. Chenesht village, located in the southeast of Birjand city in southern Khorasan, is one such area where traditional women’s clothing remains deeply rooted in society, maintaining its social and cultural relevance. This study acknowledges that a variety of factors contribute to the formation and persistence of cultural elements, including clothing, and aims to analyze the clothing of this region from an environmental perspective.
While the environmental analysis of traditional Iranian clothing is not a new topic, it has not been systematically or comprehensively addressed by researchers. Previous studies have mostly highlighted the positive roles of environmental factors in shaping clothing, with less focus on the reciprocal influence of clothing itself. In this context, the present study, inspired by Steward's three-stage approach, seeks to examine how clothing in Chenesht influences and is influenced by its environment. The study begins by analyzing certain environmental factors in Chenesht as independent variables and investigates their role in shaping women’s clothing in the village. It then explores the ways in which Chenesht clothing interacts with and contributes to the social, cultural, and economic life of the village.
The findings suggest that Chenesht clothing serves as a reflection of the community's living conditions. In other words, it was created in response to these conditions, but once established, it has also impacted various aspects of life in Chenesht. The continued endurance of this clothing style, despite the widespread changes over time, seems to be rooted in its ability to influence and adapt to the evolving needs of the community.
Keywords
Costume
Anthropology of Dress
Cultural Ecology
South Khorasan
Chenesht Village

Subjects

References
Anonymous (2003). Tarh-e gardešgari-ye rūstāye Šenešt [Chenesht village tourism plan] (Unpublished Report). Birjand:  General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of South Khorasan province. [In Persian]
Anvari Moghadam, A. (2021). Mahārat-e sāxt-e kolūte dar rūstā-ye Šenešt [The craft of making ‘Kallote’ (Puli Hat) in the village of Chenesht] (Unpublished Report). Birjand: General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of South Khorasan province. [In Persian]
Babaei, P., & Akbari, F. (2014). Bāznamāi-ye avāmel-e moaser bar Šeklgiri-ye sabk-e pūšāk-e īrāni-yān [Representation of factors influencing the formation of Iranian clothing style]. Culture of Iranian People, 11 (38), 9-26. [In Persian]
Barabadi, S. A. (2012). Dānešnāme-ye Farhang va Tamadon [Encyclopedia of Culture and Civilization - Local Clothing]. Tehran: Fekr-e Bekr. [In Persian]
Barabadi, S. A., & Mokkaramifar, A. (1995). Mardomnegari-ye Birğand [Ethnography of Birjand]. Tehran: Anthropological Research Center, Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism. [In Persian]
Barrett, S. R. (2008). Anthropology: A student’s guide to theory and methods (S. Saeedi, Trans.). Tehran: Cultural Research Office. [In Persian]
Baser, S., & Karimi, M. (2019). Pushak-e sonnati-ye zanan-e ashayer-e shahsun dasht-e moghan [A Study on the traditional clothing called gaba in the Iranian cultural society]. Cultural Studies & Communication, 15(54), 257-290. doi: 10.22034/jcsc.2019.35614 [In Persian]
Baseri, A., Ahmadi, A., & Aghaei, S. S. (2021). Pūšāk-e sonati-ye zanān-e ašāyer-e Šāhsevan-e sašt-e moġān [Traditional clothing of Shahsevan nomad women of the Moghan plain]. Culture of Iranian People, 18 (65), 15-42. [In Persian]
Bates, D. G., & Plog, F. (2006). Cultural anthropology (M. Solasi, Trans.). Tehran: Elmi.
Beck, L. (2012). Clothing of the Qašqāʾī tribes. In Encyclopædia Iranica (Vol. V, Fasc. 8, pp. 826–829). Retrieved from https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/clothing-xviii
Cordwell, J. M. & Schwarz, R. A. (1979). The fabrics of culture; The anthropology of clothing and adornment. New York: Mouton Publishers.
Creswell, J. W. (2006). Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches. California, CA: Sage Publications.
Dehkhoda, A. A. (1960). Loġat-nāme [Dictionary]. Tehran: Sirus Publication. [In Persian]
Fakouhi, N. (2007). Tārix-e andiše va nazariye-haye ensānšenāsi [History of the anthropological thought and theories]. Tehran: Ney Publication. [In Persian]
Fazeli, M. (2019). Masraf va sabk-e zendegi [Consumption and lifestyle]. Tehran: Elmi-Farhangi Publication. [In Persian]
Gharbi, M. R. (2019). Gozāreš-e sabt-e ta’ziyeh sonati-ye reyvand [The report on the registration of the traditional Ta'zieh of Reyvand] (Unpublished Report on the Registration of Intangible Heritage). Mashhad: General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Khorasan Razavi.
Ghasemi, M. (1990). Pūšāk-e Mardom-e Ostān-e Esfahān [Clothing of the People of Isfahan Province]. Isfahan Culture, 16, 102-116. [In Persian]
Goldman, B. (1999). Pūšāk-e Zanān Dar Dore-ye Sāsānī [Women’s clothing in the Sassanid period] (Trans to Persian by Mohammad Taqi Shareh Ata'i and Mohsen Zaidi). Journal of Archaeology, 2(4), 47-57. [In Persian]
Gunn, M. C. (1980). Cultural Ecology: A Brief Overview. Nebraska Anthropologist, 5: 19-27.
Hall, C. M., & Jenkins, J. M. (1995). Tourism and public policy. London: Routledge.
Hammersly, M & Atkinson, P. (2007). Ethnography: Principles in practice. London: Routledge.
Hassani, H., et al. (2015). Mardomnegarī-ye Pūšāk-e Sonatī-ye Ostān-e Semnān [Ethnography of traditional clothing of Semnan province]. Semnan: Hableh Rood. [In Persian]
Houston, M. (2002). Pūšāk-e Sāsānī [Sassanid clothing] (M. Seyedin, Trans.). Journal of Archaeology, 5(9), 59-63. [In Persian]
Ingham, B. & Lindisfarne-Tapper, N. (1997). Languages of Dress in the Middle East. Routledge.
Jame’i, P. (1972). Pūšāk-e Mardom-e Dehbarm [Dehbarm people’s clothing]. Culture of Iranian People, 122, 23-29. [In Persian]
Kazemi, H., & Rashidvash, V. (2019). Anthropological analysis of clothing in Ilam province (A tribe case study of Murshedvand from Khezel). Ilam Culture, 20(62 & 63), 90-117. [In Persian]
Khademi, A. (2015). Analyzing the capabilities and opportunities of the tourism economy of the tourism target villages of South Khorasan province: A Case of Kharo and Chenesht villages. Journal of Khavaran Economics, 19 & 20, 9-16. [In Persian]
Kompani, N. (2012). Farhang-e Estelāhāt-e Pārče va Pūšāk Dar Īrān [Dictionary of Textile and Clothing Terms in Iran]. Tehran: Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies. [In Persian]
Kottak, P. C. (1999). The new ecological anthropology. American Anthropologist, 101(1): 23-35
Maghsoudi, M., & Gharbi, R. (2013). Marāsem-e Āīnī-ye Asb-e Čūbī [Ritual ceremony of the wooden horse]. In B. Mokhtarian & M.-R. Rahbari (Eds.), Anthropology of art. Isfahan: Isfahan Art Center. [In Persian]
Matin, P. (2004 A). Pūšāk-e Īrānīyān [Iranian clothing]. Tehran: Cultural Research Office. [In Persian]
Matin, P. (2004 B). Pūšāk va Hovīyat-e Qomī va Mellī [Dress and ethnic / national identity]. National Studies Journal, 5(19), 37-48. [In Persian]
Mohammadi Seif, M. and Yarmohammad Touski, M. (2017). Pūšāk-e Sonatī-ye Zanān-e Qom-e Kord-e Īlām [Traditional clothing of Kurdish women of Ilam]. Culture of Iranian People, 14(48), 113-140. [In Persian]
Mohammadi, R. (2009). Pūšāk va Zīvarālāt-e Mardom-e Torkaman [Clothing and jewelry of the Turkmen people]. Tehran: Jamal Honar. [In Persian]
Moshirpour, M. M. (1967). Tārīx-e Tahavol-e Lebās Dar Īrān Az Āġāz Tā Eslām [History of the evolution of clothing in Iran from the beginning to Islam]. Mashhad: Zavar. [In Persian]
Mouensi Sorkheh, M. (2017). Pūšāk-e Īrānīyān Dar Asre Qāğār [Iranian clothing in the Qajar era]. Tehran: Al-Zahra University. [In Persian]
Omidi, N. (2003). Dīde-o Del-o Dast: Pažūhešī Dar Pūšāk va Honarha-ye Sonatī-ye Xorāsān [Eyes, heart, and hands: a study of traditional clothing and arts of Khorasan]. Mashhad: Behnashr Company. [In Persian]
Omrani Nasab, A. (2007). Pūšāk-e Mardom-e Sīstān va Balūčestān [The clothes of the people of Sistan and Baluchestan]. Culture of Iranian People, 5 (11), 119-132. [In Persian]
Parvaneh, F., & Haghighi, R. (2020). Barrasī-ye Pūšāk-e Bānuvān-e Īlāmī va Taḥlīl-e Mardomshenākhtī-ye Ān [A survey of Ilam women’s clothing and its anthropological analysis]. Ilam Culture, 20(64 & 65), 224-246. https://doi.org/10.22034/farhang.2020.106818 [In Persian]
Roustakhiz, B., Kazemi, S., & Azarshab, A. (2020). Kārbord-e Bāzāryābī-ye Farhangī-ye Masrafkonandeh-maḥvar dar Charkhe-ye Bāztowlīd-e Lebās-e Sonnatī-ye Īrānī bā Negāhī be Tajrobeyāt-e Keshvarhā-ye Sharq-e Āsiyā [Usage of consumer-centric cultural marketing in the cycle of reproduction of Iranian costumes; Using the East Asian countries’ Experiments]. Consumer Behavior Studies Journal, 9(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.34785/J018.2022.584 [In Persian]
Schwartz-Be’eri, O. (2012). Clothing xvii. Clothing of the Kurdish Jews. In E. Yarshater (Ed.), Encyclopaedia Iranica (Vol. 5, pp. 825–826). Columbia: Columbia University. Retrieved April 26, 2025, from http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/clothing-xvii
Shahsavani Roubiyat, S. (2019). Barresī-ye Pūšāk-e Sonatī-ye Zanān-e Rūstā-ye Čenešt [A study on traditional clothing of women of Chenesht Village]. The First National Conference on Clothing, Textile and Clothing Design. Shiraz: Apadana Institute of Higher Education. [In Persian]
Shahshahani, S. (1995). Tārixče-ye Pūšeše Sar Dar Īrān [History of head covering in Iran]. Tehran: Modaber.
Shavakandi, S. M., & Kouhestani, H. (2019). Pajūheshi dar Noqūsh-e Parde-namāhā-ye Shahrestān-e Sarbīsheh (Rūstāhā-ye Mokhtārān, Chenesht va Dehshīb) [A study on the patterns of traditional curtains in Sarbisheh County (villages of Mokhtaran, Chenesht, and Dehshib)]. Journal of Socio-Cultural Studies of Khorasan, 13(3), 63-88. https://doi.org/10.22034/fakh.2019.188453.1335 [In Persian]
Spradley, P. J. (1980). Participant observation. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Talebi, M. A., Yoosefi, J., & Barati, M. (2019). Barrasī-ye Asarāt-e Taʿāmolāt-e Beyn-e Farhangī-ye Sākenān va Gardeshgarān; Mored-e Motāleʿeh: Rūstā-ye Chenesht dar Khorāsān-e Rażavī [Investigating the effects of intercultural interactions between residents and tourists; A case study of Chenesht village in South Khorasan]. Journal of Socio-Cultural Studies of Khorasan, 14(1), 49-74. https://doi.org/10.22034/fakh.2020.199618.1356 [In Persian]
Talebian, M. H., Pourali, M., & Haddadi, S. (2021). Mīrās-e Farhangī-ye Nāmalmūs-e Īrān [Intangible cultural heritage of Iran]. Tehran: Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism. [In Persian]
Yaghoubi, H. (2014). Honarhā-ye Dastī-ye Zanān; Pūšāk-e Zanān-e Sīstānī [Women’s handicrafts; Sistani women’s clothing]. Culture of Iranian People, 11(36), 165-184. [In Persian]
Yasini, S. R. (2016). Pūšāk-e Sonnatī-ye Zanān dar Joghrafiyā-ye Farhangī-ye Īrān. Majalle-ye Motāleʿāt-e Farhang–Ertebātāt [Traditional dress of women in Iranian cultural geography]. Culture-Communication Studies, 17(33), 53-78. https://doi.org/10.22083/jccs.2016.15428 [In Persian]
Zaka, Y. (1960). Jame-ye Pārsīyān Dar Dore-ye Haxāmanešīyān [Persian clothing in the Achaemenid period]. Art and People Magazine, 16, 9-17 [In Persian]
Zhang, J. (2022). An exploration of the differences between Chinese and western costumes in the archaeological archaeology of clothing culture in different periods of agriculture. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2022(1), 2491990. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2491990.
Ziapour, J. (1964). Pūšāk-e Īrānīyān Az Kohantarīn Zamān Tā Pāyān Šāhanšāhī-ye Sāsānīyān [Iranian clothing from the earliest times to the end of the Sasanian Empire]. Tehran: Honarhaye Ziba. [In Persian]

  • Receive Date 24 February 2025
  • Revise Date 12 April 2025
  • Accept Date 19 April 2025