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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Afghan Women'
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1
Kazemiyan, Azam. "A Thousand Splendid Suns; Rhetorical Vision of Afghan Women." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/22680.
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Following the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Afghan women suddenly gained high visibility all over the world. Since then, representations of Afghan women in the Western media and notably in the U.S. news media provide a critical concern to scholars. Much of the relevant literature on this topic speaks to the fact that the dominant portrayal of Afghan women in the Western media has shown them as passive victims of war and violence, to be liberated only by the Western military intervention. However, the question remains as to how the popular fictional narratives, as another vivid source of information, represent Afghan women to the Western readers. To address this question, A Thousand Splendid Suns, as a popular novel authored by Khalid Hosseini, an Afghan novelist, was selected. Bormannian fantasy theme analysis of this novel conveys the passivity of women in the context of Afghanistan. The findings reveal that the portrayals of Afghan women in the novel correspond with the images of Afghan women in the Western media. Moreover, an examination of a sample of book reviews of the novel unveils the important contribution of Khalid Hosseini to the Orientalist discourse.
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Samad, Khorshied. "Afghan women, media and democracy: Emerging democracy in post-Taliban Afghanistan." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/27418.
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The current transformation of post-conflict Afghanistan from a war-torn nation to an emerging democracy, and the evolving role of Afghan women in media, politics, and society in post-Taliban Afghanistan are the backdrop against which the theoretical framework of this thesis are tested. Theories of deliberative democracy are investigated, exploring the synergistic intricacies between media and democracy, assessing the extent to which they influence one another. The central research question guiding this study is what role media play in the midst of or in relation to social change. Through historical data, literary sources and interviews, the thesis demonstrates that post-conflict conditions either facilitate or hinder the development of media and the emergence of democracy. It will be argued that without the equal participation of men and women in society, Afghanistan's emerging democracy will remain weak and vulnerable to both internal and external forces of destruction, blocking the country's path to progress.
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Abedin, Aida. "Afghan Women in Sweden: A Qualitative Study of Their Socio-Cultural Integration and Sense of Belonging." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-21841.
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This study aims to investigate on the social and cultural integration experiences of Afghan women in Sweden, in terms of their social networks and their socio-cultural practices. In addition, this paper questions where the Afghan women feel belonging to and what factors shape this sense of belonging. For this reason, a qualitative methodology is applied and the data is compiled through semi-structured interviews with ten Afghan women residing in Malmö, Sweden, with using both focus group interviews and individual interviews as the data collecting procedures. The concepts of socio-cultural integration, sense of belonging and social network have been utilized as the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of the study. With regards to social networks, this research intends to investigate on the social interactions of the participants with people of their own ethnic group and also with Swedes. Regarding the socio-cultural practices, the eating habits and the holiday celebration and participation of Afghan women participating in the research are examined as indicators of their cultural integration. The findings of the study reveal that language proficiency is considered as the key factor for socio-cultural integration among the participants. In general, the participants experience different levels of social interactions both with other Afghans and with Swedes. The study also shows that while the participants are committed to the Afghan cultural practices such as eating Afghan foods and celebrating their holidays, they also welcome some of the Swedish cultural practices. In addition, mutual respect has a fundamental place in Afghan women‟s interactions with the host culture and values. Moreover, the participants of this study experience different notions of belonging, and factors such as their family ties, safety, and discrimination vs. acceptance shape their feeling of belonging to both Sweden and Afghanistan. In general, the findings of this study confirm Beg‟s statement (2005) that Afghan women are not a homogenous group, and experience different varieties of socio-cultural integration and different notions of belonging.
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Anderson, Kelly Gibson Rhonda. "Cover story the rhetorical construction of Afghan women in a Time feature /." Chapel Hill, N.C. : University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006. http://dc.lib.unc.edu/u?/etd,543.
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Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006.Title from electronic title page (viewed Oct. 10, 2007). "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication." Discipline: Journalism and Mass Communication; Department/School: Journalism and Mass Communication, School of.
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Arnold, Rachel E. "Afghan women and the culture of care in a Kabul maternity hospital." Thesis, Bournemouth University, 2015. http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/24519/.
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Female Afghan healthcare providers are vital to reduce the number of women dying in labour. Since 2001 the numbers of female providers have been substantially increased. Ensuring quality care for women in childbirth, however, remains a more elusive goal. The aim of this qualitative ethnographic study was to analyse the culture of care of a Kabul maternity hospital and explore the barriers and facilitators to quality care. My particular focus was the experiences, thoughts, feelings, and values of the doctors, midwives and care assistants. Six weeks of participant observation, 23 semi-structured interviews with hospital staff, 41 background interviews and 2 focus group discussions with women in the community, between 2010 and 2012, were used to gather diverse perspectives on childbirth and care in Kabul maternity hospitals. A thematic approach was used to analyse the data. Five themes were identified: the culture of care; motivation; fear, power and vulnerability; challenges of care; family and social influences. Three themes are explored in depth in this thesis. They are discussed in the following order: the culture of care, challenges of care, and fear, power and vulnerability. The influence of family and social norms on healthcare providers was integral to understanding hospital life; it therefore contributes to each chapter. Women in childbirth laboured alone with minimal monitoring, kindness or support. For staff, the high workload was physically and emotionally demanding, resident doctors struggled to acquire clinical skills, midwives were discouraged from using their skills. Family expectations and social pressures influenced staff priorities. A climate of fear, vulnerability and horizontal violence fractured staff relationships. ‘Powerful’ hospital staff determined the behavioural agenda. This study offers multiple insights into healthcare provider behaviour. It reveals complex interrelated issues that affect care in this Afghan setting but its relevance is far broader. It is one of few international studies that explore care from the perspective of healthcare providers in their cultural and social environment. It reveals that understanding the context of healthcare is pivotal to understanding behaviour and the underlying obstacles to quality care. Furthermore, it challenges conventional assumptions about individual staff agency, motivation, and common strategies to improve the quality of care.
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Zaher, Zulfia. "The Problematic Socialization of Child Marriage in Afghanistan: Perceptions, Challenges, and Possibilities for Social Change." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1375720048.
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Møller, Silke. "Do Afghan women need saving? : A Critical Discourse Analysis of Laura Bush’s representation of the women in Afghanistan." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Institutionen för globala politiska studier (GPS), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-45801.
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Do Afghan women need saving? This study focuses on the discourse of the USA’s First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush in the years (2001-2009) and how she represents the women in Afghanistan in the context of the USA-led intervention in Afghanistan. My aim is to understand how the USA intervention can be legitimized through Mrs. Bush’s argumentation of bringing human rights to Afghan women. In the analysis in this thesis, Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis is used in combination with feminist and postcolonial theory to understand her discourse about the women in Afghanistan and how her resulting discourse functions in connection with the USA-led intervention in Afghanistan. The study concludes that Mrs. Bush constructs the Afghan women as in need of help and in connection the USA as the helping hand who have an obligation to save the women in Afghanistan. In combination with strategic use of ‘embedded feminism’ and an oriental discourse Mrs. Bush’s discourse functions to make the USA-led intervention in Afghanistan seem legitimate.
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Maroof, Zakia. "An Exploratory Examination of Afghan Women Socio Economic Status (SES) and Child Health Indicator." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2010. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/iph_theses/134.
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In this study we used the data from Afghanistan Health Survey 2006. For this study, 8278 households were randomly selected in which 8281 women aged 10-49 years were interviewed by survey teams using a structured questionnaire. The information was also collected for all children aged 5 years or less from all these households. The sample includes 7843 (13.8%) children under the age of 5 years old. Literacy of mothers (ability to read), age of mother at marriage, number of children, exposure to mass media (listening to radio or watching TV) were the independent variables and BCG vaccination, initiation of breastfeeding (within first hour of life or after first hour); and use of bed net (to protect a child from Malaria) were dependent variables. Chi square and Odd Ratio test was used to test significance of the associations. Logistic Regression test was used to control for the confounders. In this study we found that those listening to radio at least once a week were more likely to start breastfeeding during the first hour of life. Those watching TV at least once a week were more likely to vaccinate their children for BCG. These associations were significant after controlling for confounders (economic status of the family and distance to health facility). The fact that why the other independent variables did not have association with BCG vaccination, initiation of breastfeeding and use of bed net can be either due to limitation of the study or there are other reasons that require further investigations.
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Johnson, Fevziye. "Afghan Women and the Problematics of Self Expression: Silencing Sounds and Sounds of Silence." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/312528.
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This two-fold study examines the status of women of Afghanistan and the reality of their lives as depicted in their Persian-Dari literature and a few of their autobiographies published in English. It presents several relevant objectives: first, it argues that the highly traditional interpretations of Islam and Islamic law by certain religious authorities in the multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and semi-tribal society of Afghanistan, combined with some strong patriarchal system of the states, are the main factors imposing silence on the female population of that country. Second, to enhance this argument, the study provides a brief historical overview, with focus on women's status in Afghanistan since 1919 up to the present. Third, and most pertinent to the main subject of this project, the dissertation substantiates the above arguments by examining the portrayal of sexism, subjugation, segregation, resistance, veiling, and the overall oppression of Afghan women in women's prose, poetry, and autobiographical writings (the latter naturally have been published abroad). Finally, it argues that the absence of a strong Afghan female voice from any global dialog, along with the scarcity of academic study regarding their real status, have opened the way for a number of feminist writers and scholars to approach women's issues in Afghanistan from different perspectives that, in some cases, omit factual and realistic assessments of women's situation in that country. Documentary evidence is integrated into this study to demonstrate the courage, and the gradual awakening of Afghan women to their identity and power in the very complex society of Afghanistan, as well as their growing awareness that having a voice is vital for their survival.
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Kamal, Sarah. "Cultured men, uncultured women : an exploration of the gendered hierarchy of taste governing Afghan radio." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39181.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Comparative Media Studies, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-105).
After years of strict bans on the media, local radio in post-Taliban Afghanistan is undergoing an intense period of reconstruction. This thesis uses a multi-sited ethnographic investigation to examine local Afghan radio's various relationships with women in Afghanistan. In examining both the production and consumption contexts of local radio, it pinpoints areas of disjuncture that can and do lead to breakdowns in communications with the Afghan woman audience. Societal constructions of "cultured" tastes in the production room tend to obstruct female-friendly radio in favour of elite, male-oriented textual encodings. Consequently, women's radio transmissions are often at odds with the genre preferences and high levels of illiteracy of women in Afghanistan, failing to communicate with large segments of their intended audience. Radio producers face real and perceived penalties for disrupting cultural rules on what is and is not done on the air, thus the current system propagating ineffective women's radio is highly resistant to change.
by Sarah Kamal.
S.M.
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Grigorian, Hilda. "The Notion of Progress of an Afghan Woman in Society: Moving Beyond Foreign Aid." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2541.
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Since 2002, foreign aid has been invested to create social change in Afghanistan, but little is known about the impact on women in rural areas. This case study focused on a single Afghan woman in a rural province who received a foreign aid grant for building baking skills and broader economic development of 20 rural women. The theoretical framework was based on Haq and Sen's development theory. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with the key participant, her husband who was identified as the main source of support, and four female beneficiaries. These data were inductively coded and then subjected to thematic analysis. The primary findings of this study was that this foreign aid project succeeded in building skills for involved individuals; though wider spread of foreign aid benefits were limited by what is perceived as an inequitable distribution of assistance to rural areas, as well as Afghanistan's political, cultural, economic, and security environment. Findings from all participants in this case study (n=6) supported Haq and Sen's theoretical prediction that given the proper technical resources, an individual is capable of being self-reliant and avoiding poverty. The respondents concluded that short term change is attainable and beneficial, but will not be sustained without long-term cultural change regarding the roles of women and allocation of foreign aid. The social implications of this research may provide opportunities for Afghan community and women councils to conduct training for women with an objective to bring awareness of the importance of their participation in the economy. The findings will be compiled into a concept paper to be submitted to relevant ministries amid formulation of national capacity building policy for women in the rural area
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Omid, Dadras. "Barriers and associated factors of adequate antenatal care among Afghan women in Iran; A mixed methods study." Doctoral thesis, Kyoto University, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/2433/263580.
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Pourzand, Niloufar. "A tapestry of resistance : Afghan educated refugee women in Pakistan : 'agency', identity and education in war and displacement." Thesis, University of Greenwich, 2003. http://gala.gre.ac.uk/6271/.
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This study addresses how educated Afghan refugee women in Pakistan have experienced,contributed to and challenged the gendered constructions of national, ethnic and religious identities in war and displacement. In addition, this study addresses the lived experiences of educated Afghan refugee women of formal education in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, and their `agency' in utilizing education to further the cause of equity in their families and communities. This is a qualitative study using twenty in-depth and semi-structured interviews, as well as extensive participatory observation in Afghanistan and Pakistan and library-research over the period of 1996 to 2003. It is the result of immersion, as an `in-between' feminist researcher, in Afghanistan and Afghan refugee life in Pakistan since 1996, and an effort to link academic endeavor with activism and life as a development/humanitarian practitioner. This study shows the symbolic and actual role of women in the gendered constructions of dynamic and shifting identities, and their mobilization by patriarchal, political and military processes in war and displacement. It highlights the specificity of Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan, as the `near abroad'. This includes national `modernization', Sovietization and Islamization efforts and the influence of regional and global politics on Afghanistan and Afghans. The study also shows that many Afghan women, in all their diversity, have challenged not only patriarchy but also other dogmatic and undemocratic process of exclusionary politics. Their lives and efforts challenge Westocentric/orientalized stereotypes of Afghan women (and men), as well as generally those of Moslem women, women of the South and refugee women, and their constructions purely as victims. Formal education, as one of the first and most important public spaces available to girls and women, with its contradictory yet critical potential in enhancing the awareness, skills and resistance of girls and women, is further reviewed and analyzed. While addressing the above issues, this study also highlights the need to undertake further in-depth research on Afghanistan, Afghan women, Afghan refugee women and female education in Afghanistan. Such research can be used to support Afghan women and Afghan refugee women with due consideration to their heterogeneity, `agency' and struggles for wellbeing, choice and respect.
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Gregory, Thomas. "Rescuing the women of Afghanistan : gender, agency and the politics of intelligibility." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2012. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/rescuing-the-women-of-afghanistan-gender-agency-and-the-politics-of-intelligibility(e4584b58-f8c8-44b2-b496-12f89d3a5250).html.
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The purpose of this thesis is to examine the performances of gender that permeated the justifications for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan, focusing on the representational practices that dominated the Bush administration's narratives of rescue and circumscribed our understanding of the actors involved. In particular, I will argue that the image of Afghan women as the helpless victim of Taliban oppression not only allowed the United States and its coalition allies to cast themselves as heroic masculine warriors but also helped to reinforce the idea that Afghan women were little more than mere symbols of helplessness, placing them in a position of absolute inferiority and dependency. Crucially, I will claim that this image of Afghan women as the passive prisoners of the Taliban was contingent upon the suppression of a series of alternative perspectives that could not be accommodated within the parameters established by the prevailing frames of war. On the one hand, I argue that the dominant representations of Afghan women tended to show them in decidedly monolithic and one-dimensional terms, with the Bush administration and its coalition allies defining them almost entirely by the suffering they experienced. Absent from these accounts, however, was any mention of women's resistance to Taliban rule or their criticisms of the military intervention. On the other hand, I will show how the international community relied upon a particular historical narrative that allowed them to present Afghanistan as a barbaric aberration in the modern world whilst allowing them to dismiss the period of Taliban rule as a terrifying oddity in the country's history, destroying many of the freedoms that were said to exist under previous regimes. As well as ignoring the myriad of interactions between Afghanistan and the outside world and the complex social, economic and political forces that helped to precipitate the rise of the Taliban, I will argue that this historical narrative reinforced the idea that the lives of Afghan women were in a state of suspense during this period, their very existence as human beings held in abeyance until coalition troops could intervene to redeem them. What distinguishes my argument from the work of other feminists is my attention to the way in which these representational practices are contingent upon an uneasy process of repetition and reiteration, leaving them vulnerable to the possibility for subversion and resignification. Drawing on Judith Butler's work on performativity, normative violence and the politics of intelligibility along with Gayatri C. Spivak's work on the subaltern subject, I show how the activities of organisations such as the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) and the voices of individuals such as Malalai Joya help to expose the limits of the dominant norms of intelligibility, opening up the possibility for a less violent and less exclusionary re-imagining.
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Moussavi, Bibi Fakhereh. "Les mobilisations des femmes Afghanes nées et socialisées en Iran après la révolution de 1979." Thesis, Lyon, 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017LYSE2048.
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Cette thèse porte sur la question de la mobilisation de la nouvelle génération des femmes en Afghanistan après 2001. Elle interroge d’abord l’existence d’un mouvement féministe, selon les significations des outils théoriques occidentaux. Ensuite, elle analyse la mobilisation des femmes à partir des éléments qui provoquent une mobilisation pour la transformation socialeet politique afin d’assurer les droits des femmes : ceux qui ont un impact important sur la société comme la politique ou l’économie qui ne laisse pas la place aux femmes pour s’exprimer librement. La nouvelle génération des femmes qui ont grandi sous la Révolution et les théories des révolutionnaires s’engagent progressivement dans un combat pour le droit et la démocratie sous l’influence du développement : la modernisation économique, l’éducation, l’immigration et la mondialisationThis thesis focuses on the topic of mobilization of the new generation of women in Afghanistan after 2001. First, it questions the existence of a feminist movement in Afghanistan, according to the meanings and Western theoretical tools. Then it analyzes themobilization of women from the elements that cause mobilization for social and political transformation to ensure women's rights: those that have a significant impact on society such as politics and economy of both countries which do not leave room for women to express themselves freely. The new generation of women who has grown up under the Revolution andrevolutionary theories has mobilized progressively in a fight for rights and democracy under the influence of development: economic modernization, education, immigration and globalization
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Pazira, Nelofer. "Afghan women refugees in Pakistan and Iran : refugee transformation." Thesis, 2003. http://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/2436/1/MQ83964.pdf.
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This is an exploratory case study, which documents social change in the pattern of everyday life of Afghan women refugees in Iran and Pakistan. The central question of the thesis asks: Do significant changes affecting-self-perception take place in a refugee woman's life as result of migration? And, supposing that such changes do occur how might the UN, non-governmental organizations, and the international aid agencies take them into account when designing their policies? I have adopted a comparative approach in reviewing the literature of trends and patterns of various refugee experiences, including my own. I undertook field research (February-June 2000) that comprises a comparative study of refugee women's life in Iran and Pakistan and in the two locations of city and camp. It became evident that migration does indeed produce significant socio-cultural changes in a refugee woman's life, and that these affect her view of herself. Specifically, living in exile enabled a majority of women refugees to connect the economic well-being of the family with female education and the ability to find employment. (This phenomenon, though it may seem obvious in the west, is a revolutionary notion for women from rural sector backgrounds long defined by a tribal, semi-feudal structure). Such a development in turn challenges the traditional view of gender relations, in which the man is inevitably seen as head of the family, provider and protector
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"Chronic pain in Afghan immigrant women : an exploratory mixed methods study." Thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10388/ETD-2013-05-1058.
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Purpose: The purposes of this study were: (a) to describe the physical and mental health status of Afghan immigrant women in one Canadian city; (b) to construct an Afghan cultural model of pain (experience and management) using interview data and available literature; (c) to explore the experience of chronic pain and its management among Afghan immigrant women, both culturally and individually; and (d) to identify potential barriers to chronic pain management for both Afghan immigrant women and their health care providers.
Methods: This study has two parts; questionnaires were used in Part 1, and semi-structured interviews supplemented by three short questionnaires were used in Part 2. Interpretive description methodology using thematic analysis and conceptual mapping was used for analysis of interviews in Part 2.
Results: SF-36 responses (n = 9) in Part 1 suggested that the physical health status of the Afghan women was better than their mental health status. Health sciences literature and interviews with 6 Afghan immigrant women and 1 healthcare professional were used to construct cultural models of pain experience and pain management. Findings indicated that Afghan immigrant women who experienced and managed their chronic pain within their cultural model did so holistically across multiple factors: environmental, spiritual, biological, and psychological. However, each individual internalized their cultural model of pain in varying amounts. Barriers in healthcare access that prevented Afghan immigrant women from managing their pain well included: (a) different cultural perspectives between Afghan immigrant women and healthcare professionals regarding how pain is experienced and managed; and (b) communication difficulties between healthcare professionals and Afghan immigrant women.
Significance of Findings: Cultural perspectives on pain experience and pain management influence treatment expectations and pain management. Differences in cultural perspectives are a barrier in healthcare access that prevents Afghan immigrant women from managing their pain well. Addressing the differences in perspective identified in this study will increase understanding for healthcare professionals as they work together with Afghan immigrant women patients, thereby improve communication and reduce barriers to pain management.
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Lindgren, Teri G. "Impact of Afghan women's community participation : an ethnographic inquiry /." 2004. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3136067.
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"Afghani Women's Resistance: Their Struggle for Autonomy under the Soviet Occupation and Taliban Rule." Master's thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.45471.
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abstract: The American-led 'war on terror' affected how media outlets and some contemporary literature addressed and stereotyped Islam. One of the most common stereotypes regarded the status of women in society. The constant images of oppressed Afghani women generated a wave of negativity toward Islam. Afghani women were portrayed as passive characters during the Taliban rule awaiting liberation from the west. Defending their rights became one of the moral justifications for waging the 'war on terror' after the tragedy of 9/11. Gender politics in Afghanistan is closely tied to the regime in power. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the social and cultural transformation of society that followed also directly affected women and their identity as Muslims. Both the Soviet and the Taliban regimes envisioned a drastic transformation of women's participation in the public sphere. Each regime's gender politics oppressed Afghani women and sought to take away their agency. Some women welcomed the freedom under the Soviets, but others found the freedoms to be oppressive. The Taliban aimed to preserve men's authority over women. However, Afghani women never gave up the hope of freedom and equality. My main argument is to challenge the contemporary belief that Afghani women were passive characters in their history. This study introduces a fresh perspective on to women's role as change makers in the society. I argue that Afghani women maintained their autonomy and fought for their rights, before the rest of the world rushed to liberate them. They engaged in different forms of resistance from directly attacking the oppressors to keeping their resistance hidden. This thesis challenges the notion of Afghani women as victims in need of saving. On the contrary, they were the agents of change in their communities. On the basis of ethnographic interviews and three memoirs written by women who lived in Afghanistan during Soviet and Taliban rule. Their resistance against the oppressors is an affirmation of their courage and bravery.Dissertation/Thesis
Masters Thesis Religious Studies 2017