문화란오랜시간에걸쳐형성된삶의양식이자표현이다. 문화와삶은 동전의양면처럼상호관계성을지니며공존해왔다. 문화와삶은 단순한정적인관계가아니라실존적삶의자리를반영하는살아움직이는하나의역동적실체인것이다. 이역동적관계속에서문화와 삶은 씨줄과날줄처럼서로를아우르며우리네삶의 실타래를엮어왔다. 그러므로어느한 특정문화의개혁을추구하고자한다면반드시 그 문화가살아숨 쉬는특정삶의자리와의깊이있는상호소통이전제되어야한다. 그러나안타깝게도이란정부는베일이란고유의전통적문화를개선하는과정에서오랜동안베일과함께살아온이란여성의삶의자리를 깊이있게배려하지못한채 베일문화의개혁을강압적으로추진해왔다. 그것이베일을벗는일이든아니면다시베일을쓰는일이든간에일방적이고강압적인정부정책으로인하여이란여성들은많은 삶의 질고를경험해야만했다. 베일속의 삶을 유지하기를열망하는 여성들의입장에서베일을벗어야하는일은마치자신들의존재의자리를포기하는것과도같은일이였다. 반면에베일속의삶으로부터벗어나고자몸부림쳤던이란여성들에게있어서베일을다시써야하는 일은자신들의삶의자리를스스로결정할수 있는삶의자유를빼앗기는일이었다. 본 소고는베일의문화속에서전개되어온 이란여성의삶의자리를 개괄적차원에서살펴볼것이다. 즉이란여성들이자신들의문화적이며 사회적이고, 더나아가서종교적뿌리와도깊이있게관련을맺고 있는베일의문제에대하여어떻게반응하여왔는지고찰해볼 것이다. 이런과정에서우리는베일의기원에대하여살펴본 후, 베일의문제에 있어서가장중요한역사적전환점이었던1936년(강제적비베일화추진)과1 9 8 3년(강제적재베일화추진)을중심으로이란여성의삶의 자리를성찰해볼것이다.

Culture is an expression as well as a form of life which has been formed through a long history. Culture and life have been in a reciprocal relationship in history. The relationship between culture and life is not a static relationship, but a dynamic relationship. Therefore it is wrong for us to separate the former from the latter compulsorily or conversely the latter from the former coercively. Unfortunately, Iranian governments have one- sidedly tried to separate the latter from the former. In doing so, most of the Iranian women have experienced a double suffering by both the influence of the west imperialistic cultures ignoring their own particular cultural values, and the powers of the anti- d e m o c r a t i c polices destroying their individual freedom and dignity as human b e i n g s . This article will reflect upon Iranian women’s status in relation to the culture of the veil. That is to say, this article will examine how Iranian women have dealt with the issues of de- veiling and veiling which have their social, cultural, and religious roots. In doing so, after thinking of the origins of the veil to know the original meaning or function of the veil, we will consider women’ s status in relation to the issues of de-veiling and veiling through focusing on the following two important turning points: 1936 (the police of compulsory de-veiling by the regime of Reza Shah) and 1983 (the beginning of compulsory re-veiling by the Islamic Republic).