CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020
| Author | Afzaly, Hakima |
|---|---|
| Title | Narratives of Afghan Women on the Burden of Keeping a Female Virgin Body in a Patriarchal Society |
| Summary | This thesis project studies virginity testing in Afghanistan through the perspectives of Afghan women who have gone through the burden of keeping virgin bodies, or women who have been subjected to virginity testing. Through interviews with five women between the age of 13-40 who belong to Mazar-i-Sharif and Bamyan provinces of Afghanistan, I analyze the importance of having a female virgin body in the patriarchal context of Afghanistan from the perspectives of the interviewees. Through insights gained from the interviews with two women involved in advocacy projects related to virginity testing and gender equality programs I frame my thesis project. To analyze the forms of discrimination against women who lose their virginity before marriage through an intersectional approach, this study also presents one case from the Badam Bagh prison documented in the documentary Love Crimes of Kabul. I argue that virginity testing despite lacking scientific basis is not an independent practice that can be banned just by a presidential decree, it is a rather a complex practice. A complete ban of the test requires deconstructing the problematic nature of marriage which centers in patriarchy and gender hierarchy. |
| Supervisor | Sándor, Judit |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2020/afzaly_hakima.pdf |
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