Land of the Unconquerable
The Lives of Contemporary Afghan Women
1st Edition
Published on 23. March 2011
Book
Hardback
406 pages
978-0-520-26185-3 (ISBN)
Description
Reaching beyond sensational headlines, "Land of the Unconquerable" at last offers a three-dimensional portrait of Afghan women. In a series of wide-ranging, deeply reflective essays, accomplished scholars, humanitarian workers, politicians, and journalists - most with extended experience inside Afghanistan - examine the realities of life for women in both urban and rural settings. They address topics including food security, sex work, health, marriage, education, poetry, politics, prisoners, and community development. Eschewing stereotypes about the burqa, the contributors focus instead on women's empowerment and agency, and their struggles for peace and justice in the face of a brutal ongoing war. A fuller picture of Afghanistan's women past and present emerges, leading to social policy suggestions and pragmatic solutions for a peaceful future.
Reviews / Votes
"[Paints] a textured picture of the lives of both Afghan women and men... Provides them with texture and nuance, and reflects their strength." Huffington Post "Indispensable reading for anyone sincerely interested in fostering peace and well-being for Afghanistan and its people." Choice "The book provides insights into the many-layered lives of Afghan women." -- Taran N. Khan Himal Southasian "One comes away from this mosaic-like presentation with the sense of having traveled through a wide variety of Afghan milieus accompanied by highly knowledgable guides and having had informative first-hand experiences of problems facing Afghan women." -- Ann Elizabeth Mayer Peace Review: A Journal of Social JusticeMore details
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkerley
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
13 b-w photographs, 1 map, 1 table
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
635 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-520-26185-3 (9780520261853)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2011
1st Edition
Naval Institute Press
€33.99
Available for download
Persons
Jennifer Heath is editor of The Veil: Women Writers on Its History, Lore, and Politics (UC Press) and author or editor of numerous other books. Ashraf Zahedi is a sociologist at the Beatrice Bain Research Group at the University of California, Berkeley.
Content
Acknowledgments Introduction Jennifer Heath Part I. Perceptions and Realities 1. The Politics of Zan from Amanullah to Karzai: Lessons for Improving Afghan Women's Status Shireen Khan Burki 2. Between Covered and Covert: Traditions, Stereotypes, and Afghan Women's Agency Margaret A. Mills 3. Centuries of Threat, Centuries of Resistance: The Lessons of Afghan Women's Resilience Anne E. Brodsky 4. Don't Say What, Who, and When, Say How: Community Development and Women Wahid Omar 5. Afghanistan Blues: Seeing Beyond the Burqa on YouTube Dinah Zeiger Part II. A Woman's Place 6. Women's Political Presence: A Path to Promoting Gender Interests? Anna Larson 7. Voices of Parliamentarians: Four Women MPs Share Their Thoughts Massouda Jalal, Malalai Joya, Fawzia Koofi, and Azita Rafat 8. Nothing Left to Lose: Women in Prison Lizette Potgieter 9. Selling Sex in Afghanistan: Portraits of Sex Workers in Kabul Alisa Tang 10. Between Choice and Force: Marriage Practices in Afghanistan Deborah J. Smith Part III. To Be Whole in Body and Mind 11. The Hidden War against Women: Health Care in Afghanistan Sima Samar 12. Challenges to Cripple the Spirit: A Midwife's Experiences Pamela Chandler 13. Women with Disabilities: Recollections from Across the Decades Mary MacMakin 14. A Question of Access: Women and Food Security Elizabeth Stites 15. Psychological Impacts of War: Human Rights and Mental Health Nahid Aziz Part IV. Making the Rubble Bloom 16. Mending Afghanistan Stitch by Stitch: How Traditional Crafts and Social Organization Advance Afghan Women Rachel Lehr 17. Rural Women's Livelihood: Their Position in the Agrarian Economy Jo Grace and Adam Pain 18. Chadari Politics: Translating Perceptions into Policy and Practice Lina Abirafeh 19. When the Picture Does Not Fit the Frame: Engaging Afghan Men in Women's Empowerment Ashraf Zahedi Part V. "Don't Eclipse My Happy New Moon" 20. Empowering Women through Education: Recipe for Success Sakena Yacoobi 21. From Both Sides of the Mic: Women and the Media Aunohita Mojumdar 22. Painting Their Way into the Public World: Women and the Visual Arts Lauryn Oates 23. A Hidden Discourse: Afghanistan's Women Poets Zuzanna Olszewska Epilogue: Great Expectations 24. Hopes and Dreams: Interviews with Young Afghans Amina Kator Selected Bibliography About the Contributors Index