Women’s Victimization in Post-War Afghanistan: A Feminist Analysis of Abawi’s The Secret Sky (A Novel of Forbidden Love in Afghanistan)

Abstract

This research analyses Atia Abawi’s The Secret Sky (A Novel of Forbidden Love in Afghanistan) from the perspective of feminism in the backdrop of the contemporary Afghan situation. It mainly uses Betty Friedan’s views in her book The Feminine Mystique, especially how she examined women’s experiences in post-war scenario and advocated for their rights, including opportunities for education, employment, and an end to gender-based discrimination. Moreover, the researcher also elaborated aspects of the texts engaging with debates developed by Chandra Talpade Mohanty and Sara Suleri regarding the situation and experiences of women in the global south/third world (South-Asia). Mohanty is highly critical of the representations of women from the third world, especially when Western feminists generalize their grievances. Sara Suleri also bases her critique of western feminism on the lived experiences of South-Asian women. Arguing on these theoretical grounds, this research claims that marginalizing women in the name of religion, societal norms, traditions, and cultural codes should be regarded illegitimate. The female protagonist in the selected work is vulnerable and victim of men’s cruelty. The aim here is to identify the major factors that contribute to the denial of the post-war agency to Afghan women and afflict their lives. In this aspect, the research is also cognizant of the ways women have been brutally treated at the hands of fundamentalists in post-war Afghan society. This research study is highly significant for future researchers in other areas of feminist studies, specifically as it sets the path to look at issues of patriarchy, oppressive societal norms, honor-killing, regressive traditions, and culture, and how these elements are used as constructs to marginalize and victimize women in the contemporary Afghanistan.

Keywords: Feminism, Abawi, The Secret Sky, Betty Friedan, Sara Suleri, Mohanty

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18344989