The Women of Afghanistan Under the Taliban [Paperback]

Rosemarie Skaine (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786410906 | ISBN-13: 978-0786410903 | Publication Date: November 28, 2001

Even though the people of Afghanistan in general suffered under the rule of the Taliban, women lived especially difficult lives, enduring terrible hardships. They were denied basic human rights, forced to wear veils and kept in seclusion. This work addresses the religion, revolution, and national identity of Afghan women and places them within their gender-political and religious-political roles, thus elevating our understanding of their abuse, imprisonment and murder, and offering a basis for their rehabilitation. Powerful and moving interviews with Afghan women conducted and translated by the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan are presented and a brief history of the struggle of the Afghan women and an overview of the conflict between the Afghans and the Taliban are included.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Skaine's book is a good introduction for readers looking for a comprehensive book about women in Afghanistan. She begins by dispelling the notion that historically women in Afghanistan were passive and repressed. Before they were forbidden to work by the Taliban, women labored as teachers, government committee members, and doctors. RAWA was formed not during the reign of the Mujahideen or the Taliban but back in 1977 to fight for women's rights and then, later, to oppose the Russian invaders and eventually the Taliban. Skaine also includes a chapter with interviews of Afghan refugees gathered by RAWA that detail the radical changes life in Afghanistan underwent under the rule of the Taliban. Another chapter offers an analysis of groups and countries that are offering aid to Afghanistan. Skaine's book will appeal to readers curious about the conditions for women in Afghanistan prior to the overthrow of the Taliban. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Comprehensive...detail[s] the radical changes life in Afghanistan underwent under the rule of the Taliban...will appeal to readers curious about the conditions for women in Afghanistan prior to the overthrow of the Taliban. A perfect text for classes studying contemporary Afghanistan." --Booklist/RBB

"A balanced and informative portrayal of a horrific situation...information from a wide array of international, Afghan, and women's organizations...highly recommended." --Counterpoise

"Readable and accessible...women's history, education, fashion and other social aspects are described in detail...women are clearly going to be the major healing and uniting force in Afghan society." --Far Eastern Economic Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: McFarland (November 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786410906
• ISBN-13: 978-0786410903
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #914,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The oppression of women in Afghanistan, May 21, 2002

By 

Shirin Raza (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Women of Afghanistan Under the Taliban (Paperback)

Skaine, Rosemarie. The Women of Afghanistan Under the Taliban, London: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2002. x + 148. One map. Index. HQ 1735.6.S39 2002

This book covers a topic of much relevance and attention in the contemporary world: human rights, in particular those of women in Afghanistan. It examines the social and economic conditions faced by Afghani women, and Skaine implements a question and answer structure in order to delineate this. Furthermore, it touches upon the dire necessity for employment reform for women. With current employment restrictions upon women, families are starving, and children are growing up uneducated with a lack of teachers.
The book is extremely useful in that it does not focus solely upon the Taliban as the source for gender inequalities in Afghanistan. Rather it notes the many political motives behind it, as well as cultural and social pressures. Moreover, it succeeds in showing that it is not Islam that renders the oppression of women as justifiable. Instead, it shows the many intertwining forces within Afghani culture and politics that are in fact to blame.
It is for this reason that this book deserves much attention. The American media too often portrays, or simplifies, the oppression of Afghani women into a phenomenon stemming from the Taliban and Islamic fundamentalism. The fact that the chauvinistic mindset pervades, and has existed within, Afghani society is often overlooked. This creates a dangerous situation in which, the elimination of the Taliban may cause the world to assume the issue of female oppression is automatically solved. In addition, Skaine's writing style and structure make the book a clear and easy read.

Shirin Raza

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrible!, April 8, 2002

By 

N. tan (manila Philippines) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Women of Afghanistan Under the Taliban (Paperback)

For all those women who wants to know how its like living under the taliban gov't,this book is a must have. Here one can find the real situation of women living under the terror of the taliban,this book described the shocking truth of hell and one can never imagine how women in afghanistan were able to survived in this kind of narrow minded taliban gov't. Buy this book before they run out of print.

5.0 out of 5 stars Afghanistan gals, September 22, 2010

By 

Nadia N. Rehmani "Nadia N.Rehmani" (U.S.A) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Women of Afghanistan Under the Taliban (Paperback)

This book was very informative and shows things that are hard to bare.I read a lot of it but then layed it aside. I got sort of worn out and depressed. ;I will definetly go back and finish it.