CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020
| Author | Fetrat, Mubareka Sahar |
|---|---|
| Title | An Affective Reading of Fear in the Period of Peace Process with the Taliban: Highlighting Afghan Women???s Subjectivities During Uncertainties |
| Summary | The USA’s sudden decision of complete military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2018 and its decision to force peace between the Taliban and Afghan government created questions, uncertainties, and fears. These fears have been particularly apparent among women, specifically among the women in Kabul and the bigger cities who have fought for and gained more space and platforms during the years since the Taliban’s regime (1996-2001). This thesis discusses these uncertainties, fears, and emotions as they happen. I aim to highlight a particularly salient aspect of this period by focusing on Afghan women’s subjectivities and leadership amid a situation of constant fear and uncertainties. To do that, I have been reflecting on my insider/outsider positionality and the possibilities and constraints it has created. As a feminist from Kabul, I have stayed in contact with organizations and individuals in Kabul, which kept me aware of women’s actions, mobilizations, dynamics during the ongoing peace process period, although I was physically away. Moreover, as a researcher and an outsider, I have been equipped with the required knowledge to discuss emotions such as pain and fear and to highlight Afghan women’s activism and subjectivity in a period of uncertainties. By applying a combination of in-depth oral history narrations, patchwork ethnography, and exploration of online resources such as WhatsApp, Skype, and Zoom applications, I explore how memories of a painful past with the Taliban have resulted in Afghan women’s current fears and how these fears (both physical and psychological) have led to cooperation, mobilization, and activism. In this thesis, I explore discussions related to this complex situation such as the war on women’s bodies, the rhetoric of salvation, patriarchy, and patriarchal bargainings, women s agency, and virtual activism and its (im)possibilities. |
| Supervisor | Renkin, Hadley Zaun; De Haan, Francisca |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2020/fetrat_mubareka.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University