''Javānmardi'' ( fa, جوانمردی) is a Persian word which refers broadly to the ideological or philosophical underpinnings an ethical system dominated by altruism, magnanimity and liberality linked to

chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed b ...

, and particularly spiritual chivalry. It is a concept usually discussed within Sufi contexts. It is also referred to (primarily in Arabic) as '' futuwwa ''( fa, فتوت).

''Luti'' and ''Dash mashti''

The ''lutis'' ( fa, لوتی ''lūtī'') were a unique type of masculine men with roots from the Persian Sufi brotherhoods, ''

ayyār Ayyār, ( ar, عيار, ʿayyār, pl. ''ʿayyārūn''; fa, عیار, Ayyâr, pl. ''Ayyârân'') refers to a person associated with a class of warriors in Iraq and Iran from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The word literally means vagabond. Ayy ...

''s, and futuwwa ideas in 15th-19th century

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkme ...

. They had distinct rites, attitudes, clothing, and traits, most notably practicing Pahlevani and zoorkhaneh rituals. Their spiritual and martial model of masculinity was ''javānmardi'', which means the state of being ''javānmard''. In late 19th century, a unifying national Persian masculine gender identity was gradually formed during the political and social developments and modernization/Westernization in late Qajar (1785-1925), particularly during the Persian Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911), and first

Pahlavi Pahlavi may refer to: Iranian royalty *Seven Parthian clans, ruling Parthian families during the Sasanian Empire *Pahlavi dynasty, the ruling house of Imperial State of Persia/Iran from 1925 until 1979 **Reza Shah, Reza Shah Pahlavi (1878–1944 ...

periods (1925-1941), which came into conflict with the ideals, norms, traits, and appearance of the lutis; the latter gradually became menacing, counter-normative, deviant, anxiety-provoking, chaotic, violent, and sexually ambiguous.

In popular culture

Dash Mashti The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

was an influential subgenre of the Iranian cinema that embodied ''javanmardi'' ideals and ideas. Most of these films were produced in 1950s in Iran. The best example is considered the 1971 movie

Dash Akol ''Dash Akol'' ( fa, داش آکُل, Dāsh Ākol) is a 1971 in film, 1971 Iranian cinema, Iranian drama film directed by Masoud Kimiai. It was adopted from a short story of the same name written by Sadegh Hedayat in his short story collection '' ...

In modern Iran

In modern times the concept indicates to an idealized configuration of masculinity in Iran. Some historical actors are considered of representing the javanmardi-ethos paradigmatically. The merchant Tayyeb Hajj Reza'i (1912-1963) is nowadays remembered as the "javanmard-e bozorg", i. e. the "great ideal man".Gölz
"Representation of the Hero Tayyeb Hajj Reza’i. Sociological Reflections on javanmardi."
In Javanmardi: The Ethics and Practice of Persianate Perfection. Edited by Lloyd Ridgeon, 263–80. Berkeley, CA: Ginkgo Press, 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Javanmardi Sufi philosophy Persian words and phrases Iranian culture