Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

Afghan Women’s Resistance and Struggle in Afghanistan and Diasporic Communities, 2004-2005 aimed to develop a better understanding of Afghan women's resistance to war and violent conflicts; their engagement with multiple worlds as refugees or living in exile, their struggle for survival and/or their acquisition of new knowledge and power. The study investigated the vast diversity (class, age, ethnicity, religion) of women's experiences in the process of historical changes (in times of war and conflict, in exile and in times of peace making) and the different ways they emerge as autonomous agents and construct their identities, in culturally specific circumstances. The research assessed the gendered nature of social exclusion, and the importance of women's inclusion in the processes of reconstruction and peace making. Semi-structured interviews were used to study Afghan women (and some men) in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, UK and USA. Respondents were chosen to represent a sample of diverse groups (students, teachers, non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) workers, United Nations (UN) workers, journalists, women and men in refugee camps) according to their religiosity, ethnicity, age, marital status, fertility rate, class, citizenship status, employment status and political, social and cultural activities. Detailed demographic information about each respondent is recorded in the data listing. Further information is available from the ESRC award page.

Main Topics:

The interviews cover experiences of Afghan women (and some men) in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, UK and USA. Some of the issues investigated include:experience in Iran, Pakistan, the UK and the USAexperience under Taliban ruleinvolvement and views on the reconstruction of Afghanistaneducationemploymentnational and cultural identitygender issues

Purposive selection/case studies

Face-to-face interview