Contested Terrain: Reflections with Afghan Women Leaders

Sally L. Kitch explores the crisis in contemporary Afghan women’s lives by focusing on two remarkable Afghan professional women working on behalf of their Afghan sisters. Kitch's compelling narrative follows the stories of Judge Marzia Basel and Jamila Afghani from 2005 through 2013, providing an oft-ignored perspective on the personal and professional lives of Afghanistan's women. Contending with the complex dynamics of a society both undergoing and resisting change, Basel and Afghani speak candidly--and critically--of matters like international intervention and patriarchal Afghan culture, capturing the ways in which immense possibility alternates and vies with utter hopelessness. Strongly rooted in feminist theory and interdisciplinary historical and geopolitical analysis, Contested Terrain sheds new light on the struggle against the powerful forces that affect Afghan women's education, health, political participation, livelihoods, and quality of life. The book also suggests how a new dialogue might be started--in which women from across geopolitical boundaries might find common cause for change and rewrite their collective stories.

Table of Contents:
CoverTitleContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I. Hope (2002–2005)1. Working for Women in "Postconflict" Afghanistan2. Two Strong Voices: The Making of Women Leaders in Afghanistan3. Constructing Women's Rights in AfghanistanPart II. Reality (2005–2010)4. The Basics of Change5. The Political Is Personal6. Afghan Marriage Practices7. Marriage Hits HomePart III. Uncertainty (2010–2013)8. Addressing Afghanistan's Problems9. Fast-Forward10. Future ProspectsAfterword: The Clock Is Ticking, 2013NotesReferencesIndex

About the Author :
Sally L. Kitch is Regents' Professor of Women's and Gender Studies and the founding Director of the Institute of Humanities Research at Arizona State University. She is the author of The Specter of Sex: Gendered Foundations of Racial Formation in the United States.

Review :
"Kitch writes beautifully and in a very engaging manner that draws the reader into the story she is telling. Jamila and Marzia come across as thoughtful and compelling women of great integrity who have devoted themselves to women's rights and national progress."--Valentine Moghadam, author of Globalization and Social Movements: Islamism, Feminism, and the Global Justice Movement "A significant contribution to the literature on women in Afghanistan because of its innovative structure as well as its sensitive, intelligent. ethical approach to cross-cultural issues. . . . Contested Terrain: Reflections with Afghan Women Leaders not only should be on the reading list of women's studies classes, but it also should be recognized as exemplifying the best in feminist methodology."--Hypatia