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https://doi.org/10.11588/iqas.2025.1.27412

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Fiction and Fracture: Literary Tropes and the Representation of Afghan Women

[journal article]

Zafar, Morwari

Abstract

For more than two decades, literature on Afghanistan has evolved around a similar axis of the literary imagination. Works of fiction, in particular, consistently convey an Afghan female archetype whose significance is defined by her struggle against the oppressive patriarchal values of Afghan cultur... view more

For more than two decades, literature on Afghanistan has evolved around a similar axis of the literary imagination. Works of fiction, in particular, consistently convey an Afghan female archetype whose significance is defined by her struggle against the oppressive patriarchal values of Afghan culture and society. From Khaled Hosseini's storied A Thousand Splendid Suns to Deborah Ellis's The Breadwinner, Afghan women and girls are closely associated with narratives of war, violence and an equally unforgiving socio-cultural landscape. This article examines the representation of Afghan women in two successful novels of contemporary English-language fiction by Afghan-American authors: Khalid Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns and Nadia Hashimi's The Pearl that Broke Her Shell. The analysis intends to unpack the tropes and narratives that have come to embody Afghan femininity in the American imagination. Grounded in literary criticism, the article will discuss a selection of prominent works to analyse the effects of textual nuances, narrative structures and character development in producing a characteristic image of "the Afghan woman". By identifying recurring tropes, stereotypes and other literary devices, the research aims to contribute to ongoing conversations about the limitations of knowledge production on Afghanistan and its people, particularly as such narratives are drawn into the world of politics and policymaking.... view less

Keywords
knowledge production; woman; Afghanistan; fiction (literary genre); literary criticism

Classification
Women's Studies, Feminist Studies, Gender Studies
Science of Literature, Linguistics

Free Keywords
Afghan women; literary fiction; narratives; U.S. perception; Khaled Hosseini; Nadia Hashimi

Document language
English

Publication Year
2025

Page/Pages
p. 43-63

Journal
International Quarterly for Asian Studies (IQAS), 56 (2025) 1

Issue topic
Reclaiming Voice - Afghan Women and the Politics of Knowledge Production

ISSN
2566-6878

Status
Published Version; peer reviewed

Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0


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© 2007 - 2025 Social Science Open Access Repository (SSOAR).
Based on DSpace, Copyright (c) 2002-2022, DuraSpace. All rights reserved.