Offers a three-dimensional portrait of Afghan women. This title examines the realities of life for women in both urban and rural settings. It addresses topics including food security, sex work, health, marriage, education, poetry, politics, prisoners, and community development.

Acknowledgments Introduction Jennifer Heath Part I. Perceptions and Realities 1. The Politics of Zan from Amanullah to Karzai: Lessons for Improving Afghan Women's Status Shireen Khan Burki 2. Between Covered and Covert: Traditions, Stereotypes, and Afghan Women's Agency Margaret A. Mills 3. Centuries of Threat, Centuries of Resistance: The Lessons of Afghan Women's Resilience Anne E. Brodsky 4. Don't Say What, Who, and When, Say How: Community Development and Women Wahid Omar 5. Afghanistan Blues: Seeing Beyond the Burqa on YouTube Dinah Zeiger Part II. A Woman's Place 6. Women's Political Presence: A Path to Promoting Gender Interests? Anna Larson 7. Voices of Parliamentarians: Four Women MPs Share Their Thoughts Massouda Jalal, Malalai Joya, Fawzia Koofi, and Azita Rafat 8. Nothing Left to Lose: Women in Prison Lizette Potgieter 9. Selling Sex in Afghanistan: Portraits of Sex Workers in Kabul Alisa Tang 10. Between Choice and Force: Marriage Practices in Afghanistan Deborah J. Smith Part III. To Be Whole in Body and Mind 11. The Hidden War against Women: Health Care in Afghanistan Sima Samar 12. Challenges to Cripple the Spirit: A Midwife's Experiences Pamela Chandler 13. Women with Disabilities: Recollections from Across the Decades Mary MacMakin 14. A Question of Access: Women and Food Security Elizabeth Stites 15. Psychological Impacts of War: Human Rights and Mental Health Nahid Aziz Part IV. Making the Rubble Bloom 16. Mending Afghanistan Stitch by Stitch: How Traditional Crafts and Social Organization Advance Afghan Women Rachel Lehr 17. Rural Women's Livelihood: Their Position in the Agrarian Economy Jo Grace and Adam Pain 18. Chadari Politics: Translating Perceptions into Policy and Practice Lina Abirafeh 19. When the Picture Does Not Fit the Frame: Engaging Afghan Men in Women's Empowerment Ashraf Zahedi Part V. "Don't Eclipse My Happy New Moon" 20. Empowering Women through Education: Recipe for Success Sakena Yacoobi 21. From Both Sides of the Mic: Women and the Media Aunohita Mojumdar 22. Painting Their Way into the Public World: Women and the Visual Arts Lauryn Oates 23. A Hidden Discourse: Afghanistan's Women Poets Zuzanna Olszewska Epilogue: Great Expectations 24. Hopes and Dreams: Interviews with Young Afghans Amina Kator Selected Bibliography About the Contributors Index

“Land of the Unconquerable is a timely collection of insightful articles and reflections. The first person accounts by long-time Afghan activists are especially moving. It is far too rare to hear Afghans, particularly Afghan women, speak in their own voices about their realities, and this volume addresses this lack with both courage and clarity.” —Kavita N. Ramdas, former President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women and current Visiting Scholar and Fellow at Stanford University

“This is a valuable book addressing a question that needs to be understood if peace in Afghanistan is ever to be achieved.” —Haleh Afshar, co-author of Women in Later Life: Exploring Race and Ethnicity

“This book urgently and importantly avoids politicizing women’s issues for personal gain.” —Sima Wali, former President of Refugee Women in Development and former Peace Talks delegate at the Bonn Conference

“The United States and its NATO allies declared they would liberate the women of Afghanistan from years of brutal exploitation and tyrannical rule when they entered the country and toppled the Taliban in late 2001. This timely and informative book counters that claim and describes how women continue to suffer since the Taliban fell from power. A diverse group of writers and activists put forth a good review and analysis of the current situation for women in Afghanistan and provide a significant contribution to an extremely important but still neglected subject. Essential reading for those with a serious interest in topics relating to women in Afghanistan.” —Hafizullah Emadi, Development consultant, Afghanistan

“Land of the Unconquerable provides a nuanced picture of the complex and diverse lives of Afghan women, and it successfully dispels much public misinformation about Afghanistan and its people. This is an outstanding and timely volume.” —Rickie Solinger, co-editor of Interrupted Life: Experiences of Incarcerated Women in the U.S.

“This edited collection about the constraints, opportunities and contexts in which Afghan women are living today is a triumph. The essays are well-written, apt, interesting and close to the ground. This will be tremendously useful to scholars and activists around the world.” —Shahla Haeri, Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Boston University