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Cultural Values or Universal Rights? Women's Narratives of Compliance and Contestation in Urban Afghanistan

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  • Naila Kabeer
  • Ayesha Khan

Abstract

There has been an ideological tug-of-war over women's place in Afghan society from the early years of the twentieth century between the modernizing tendencies of its urban-based elite and the forces of conservatism represented by the Islamic ulema (religious leaders). Following the US-led invasion and the international donor community's subsequent efforts to "develop" the country, this struggle has acquired a new lease of life. Current debates reproduce the now familiar divide between cultural values and universal rights that characterizes the wider feminist literature. While Afghan voices have been part of this debate, they tend to be drawn from more educated and politicized groups. This paper uses the narratives of a small group of Afghan women from poorer urban households to explore how they evaluate the changes that have taken place in Afghan society and where their views position them in the ongoing debates.

Suggested Citation

  • Naila Kabeer & Ayesha Khan, 2014. "Cultural Values or Universal Rights? Women's Narratives of Compliance and Contestation in Urban Afghanistan," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(3), pages 1-24, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:20:y:2014:i:3:p:1-24
    DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2014.926558
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wakefield, Shawna, 2004. "Gender And Local Level Decision Making: Findings From A Case Study In Mazar-E Sharif," Case Studies 14635, Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit.
    2. Wakefield, Shawna, 2004. "Gender And Local Level Decision Making: Findings From A Case Study In Panjao," Case Studies 14633, Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ramos, Amaya Alexandra, 2022. "Interventions and participatory clinical research for the enhancement of health systems interfacing with displaced Afghan women," SocArXiv hysbu, Center for Open Science.
    2. Rai, Shirin M. & Brown, Benjamin D. & Ruwanpura, Kanchana N., 2019. "SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth – A gendered analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 368-380.
    3. Arun Jentrick, 2023. "Women-Headed Households: Diversity and Dynamics in Post-Conflict Settings in South Asia," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(5), pages 1264-1277, May.
    4. Maneka Jayasinghe & Christine Smith, 2021. "Poverty Implications of Household Headship and Food Consumption Economies of Scales: A Case Study from Sri Lanka," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 157-185, May.

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    1. Wakefield, Shawna, 2005. "Gender And Local Level Decision Making: Findings From A Case Study In Samangan," Case Studies 14640, Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit.
    2. Wakefield, Shawna, 2004. "Gender And Local Level Decision Making: Findings From A Case Study In Mazar-E Sharif," Case Studies 14635, Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit.

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