Voices of Afghan Women Women and Identity in Literature of Afghanistan

Abstract

The blitzkrieg destabilization of Afghanistan by major world powers and factional groups in contemporary times has triggered major academic works on the country. One witnessed a surge in interest and curiosity about the socio-cultural, religious, political, and economic dynamics of the country. Often regarded as one of the most unsafe country for women in the world, this work focuses on the concept of a gender in Afghanistan. Afghanistan, in the post-Soviet era, is subjected to numerous political upheavals and a series of wars. The people of Afghanistan are victims of internal displacement and exile. They are forcibly uprooted from their homes, to live in overcrowded refugee camps all over the world. The journey is treacherous and traumatizing. Afghan women are often subjected to inhuman conditions, exposed to conditions where their sense of honour is violated. They are victims of rape and torture. newlineThe Afghan male sense of honour that demands the subjugation of women is observed with zealous fervour in the refugee camps, where women bear the brunt of the displaced sense of male honour and helplessness on foreign soil. This thesis examines the power structures that created a bacha posh in Afghanistan. The idea of a bacha posh in Afghanistan is a performance shaped by dialogues that moves beyond the normative gender binaries of male and female. The bacha posh move beyond the grand totalizing narratives of gender binaries to create a space that marked by fluidity and freedom. Even though the identity of a bacha posh is a shared deceit, created to serve the needs of an androcentric society, one cannot ignore its subversive nature. This work also explores how landays (short oral poems) sung by women are expressions of rebellion and subtle protests against the double mutilation Afghan women face in exile. The issues of social taboos and how it continues to define Afghan women s identity and moral crimes are dealt with in this thesis.