Making Feminist (Non) Sense of War and Gender in Afghanistan

This article reflects upon understandings of war, gender and women’s rights activism in Afghanistan and their consequences. It explores how efforts to ‘write against’ the imperial capturing of women’s liberation in the context of the war on terror have eclipsed – and to some extent, provided frameworks seized upon to de-legitimise – the actors working to advance gender equality inside Afghanistan. It contrasts the flattening preoccupations with ‘saving Afghan women’ as a project of imperial warfare with the actual diversity of approaches and priorities existing within the women’s movement, showing the nuances with which Afghan women activists analysed and approached obstacles to gender equality in their communities. We suggest that although different activist groups, to various degrees, made use of international resources and interventions, they cannot be reduced to them. Yet, we trace how this was exactly what happened as geopolitical priorities shifted and NATO countries sought closer alignments with the Taliban. At that point, women activists found themselves dismissed as elitist, pro-war and fundamentally unauthentic to the Afghan context, in ways that would echo the claims of Taliban discourse.

Key findings

• Restrictions on women’s work and education compound economic hardship for entire households.
• Humanitarian access depends increasingly on local negotiation and trusted intermediaries.
• Programmes designed with communities are more resilient to sudden policy change.

Recommendations

Donors and implementing partners should invest in long-term, flexible funding, prioritise the participation of women in programme design, and support local research capacity so that evidence continues to inform decisions.