Afghan Female Students' Encounters with Gendered Knowledge in Iran's Women's Studies Programs

Introduction

The field of Women's Studies, now more than half a century old in Western universities, currently adopts an interdisciplinary approach to understanding gender at the intersection of factors such as ethnicity, race, class, and sexuality. This field in Iran was first established as an academic field in 2001 and is currently taught at about ten universities at the master's and doctoral levels. Over two decades since the establishment of this discipline, the student body has expanded beyond Iranian nationals to include Afghan students pursuing graduate and doctoral degrees in this field. Given Afghanistan’s patriarchal cultural fabric and the structural discrimination against women in that country, the engagement of Afghan women with gender concepts within an academic environment is of paramount importance. Previous research in Iran has predominantly examined the challenges of this discipline from an external perspective, leaving the lived experiences of students—particularly Afghan women in this field—neglected. Consequently, the present study aims to understand the lived experiences of Afghan female students regarding their encounter with gender knowledge in the field of Women's Studies in Iran. The theoretical framework of this research is grounded in intersectionality, social constructionism, and gender reflexivity theories to elucidate the multi-layered dimensions of these women’s experiences.



Methodology

This research was conducted using a qualitative approach and an interpretative phenomenological method to explicate the deep meaning of the participants' lived experiences. The participants were Afghan female students at the master's and doctoral levels in Women's Studies from various universities, selected through purposive sampling. The inclusion criterion required a minimum of two years of study in the field. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews lasting 60 to 90 minutes, continuing until data saturation was achieved, resulting in interviews with 14 participants. Data analysis was performed based on Van Manen’s approach, utilizing three methods of holistic, selective, and line-by-line analysis. Throughout the research, ethical principles were strictly observed; informed consent was obtained from all participants, and the confidentiality of their information was preserved at all stages. To ensure research quality, the trustworthiness criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability were adhered to.



Findings

The findings derived from the phenomenology of the lived experiences of Afghan female students studying Women's Studies were organized into main and sub-themes. Analysis and coding of the interviews yielded four main themes: "Gendered Insight," "Gendered Empathetic Reflection," "Positive Gender Orientation," and "Gendered Labeling." The theme "Gendered Insight" encompasses sub-themes including "doubting the authenticity of traditional gender attitudes," "understanding women's unequal status," "comprehending gender discrimination within the family," and "re-reading the Quranic perspective on women and men." This indicates the students' deep awareness of the multi-layered and intertwined nature of gender discrimination with ethnicity and tribal structures. By questioning the authenticity of traditional gender attitudes, understanding the historical inequality of women, and re-reading the just perspective of the Quran regarding women and men, these women attained a new understanding of their status, realizing that gender discrimination is not rooted in the essence of femininity but is rather a product of historical sediments and patriarchal interpretations. The theme "Gendered Empathetic Reflection" includes sub-themes of "empathetic understanding of self" and "empathetic understanding of the other," reflecting a transition from a confrontation-oriented perspective to an empathetic understanding in relation to oneself and relationships with others. Students achieved empathy with themselves and others by accepting themselves without judgment and understanding the conditions of men within patriarchal structures. The theme "Positive Gender Orientation" comprises sub-themes such as "desire for anti-gender discrimination activism," "tendency towards women's empowerment," "interest in raising awareness about gender issues," and "propensity for family-oriented accompaniment," reflecting the motivation for activism among these women after gaining awareness. Through their desire for anti-discrimination activity, inclination towards women's empowerment, interest in awareness-raising, and tendency for family-oriented accompaniment, they demonstrated that studying in this field has driven them toward positive individual and social changes. Finally, the theme "Gendered Labeling" includes sub-themes of "being labeled as demanding" and "being labeled as anti-family," pointing to social pressures and negative judgments. As these women pursued studies in Women's Studies and underwent the process of gender reflexivity, they faced labels of being demanding and anti-family from society and even their own families, signifying resistance against the transformation of their gender identity. Overall, the findings indicate that the experience of studying Women's Studies for Afghan women has been a tumultuous path; a path beginning with insight and awareness, leading to empathy and positive activism, yet simultaneously encountering negative labels and social judgments. These findings, in conjunction with the three theories of intersectionality, social constructionism, and gender reflexivity, illustrate how Afghan women, on the one hand, through gender awareness regarding the intertwined discriminations they experience, achieve a better understanding of their relationship with themselves and social relations, ultimately leading to activity and activism in the gender sphere; and on the other hand, face familial and social pressures during this process, experiencing these pressures in the form of being labeled as demanding and anti-family.



Conclusion

The results of this study demonstrate that studying Women's Studies for Afghan women has been a transformative process accompanied by tension. On the one hand, by fostering gender insight, empathetic thinking, and positive thinking, the discipline has paved the way for rethinking traditional beliefs, enhancing self-esteem, and motivating activism towards women's empowerment and family consolidation. On the other hand, these women have faced social resistance and negative labels while navigating the path of changing and redefining their gender identity. These findings, linked to the theories of intersectionality, social constructionism, and gender reflexivity, demonstrate how gender knowledge can serve as a tool for understanding and transcending intertwined and multi-layered discriminations, while simultaneously facing challenges arising from patriarchal power structures. Such a process, while indicative of the capacity of Women's Studies to empower women within patriarchal cultural and social contexts, also highlights the challenges encountered by students in this field. The present research fills the existing gap in the literature regarding the lived experiences of Afghan women in this discipline, emphasizing that despite judgments and social pressures, Women's Studies possesses a high capacity for empowerment and attitude change within patriarchal cultural contexts.