Afghanistan is regarded as a ‘classical patriarchal’ society, where old social tradition, religious doctrine and socio-economic and cultural backwardness have made women second-class citizens. But how have women—on different levels—lived in Afghanistan? How have they treated been treated, both in the private sphere and in public? And how did they resist mistreatment during the war inside Afghanistan, in refugee camps or in diaspora? Who are the sponsors and perpetrators of human rights violations against Afghanistani women? What are the connections between Islam, local customs, the mistreatment of women, and women’s connectedness to revolution and jihad?

This book provides answers to these questions through an innovative study of the life and short stories of one of the country’s leading female writers, Maryam Mahboob. If offers a completely different image of both the suffering and resistance of Afghanistani women than that we in the ‘West’ have come to know.

About the Author
Dr Faridullah Bezhan was born and grew up in Afghanistan, where he taught literature at Kabul University. He is now a Senior Research Fellow at the Monash Asia Institute, Monash University Australia. He has published several books and articles in English and Persian on the history and literature of Afghanistan, especially the work of the countrys prominent and emerging female authors.