Mercy Corps Publishes Groundbreaking Book

Mercy Corps International
Thursday, 4 October 2001

Study Gives Voice to Women in Afghanistan

Blind Chickens and Social Animals: Creating Spaces for Afghan Women's Narratives under the Taliban

"Before, we were like blind chickens...." - Afghan woman

Mercy Corps announces the publication of Blind Chickens and Social Animals: Creating Spaces for Afghan Women's Narratives under the Taliban. Authored by Anna M. Pont, the agency's Community Development Specialist for Afghanistan/Pakistan, this timely study explores the role of gender in Afghanistan today and reveals the complexity of women's position there. Only by gaining a thorough and accurate understanding of women in Afghanistan, Pont argues, can effective assistance be provided and the status of women improved.

The book argues that studies conducted by "outsiders" are prone to homogenize the developing world woman as "a powerless victim of particular cultural, religious and socio-economic systems or of the colonial process," and thus, a true understanding of the position of women is missed.

"The veil should not be considered an impermeable wall behind which there is no possibility of action. Instead, value and attention should be given to the voices of these women," concludes Pont.

While much has been heard from urban Afghan women about the impact of the Taliban, this book gives rural women a voice and reveals that geography can often shape opinion, as can the level of education and economic status. More than 218 women were interviewed.

An anthropologist by training, Pont's qualitative research draws on her extensive experience in the region. After a brief description of the Taliban, the book's chapters include: Visibility and Mobility, Social Animals, Health Care, Refugee Villages, Education, Women's Work and Divisions of Labor, Repatriation and Displacement.

To order a copy of Blind Chickens and Social Animals see the website for Powell's Books at www.powells.com or send a check ($15 including shipping/handling) to Mercy Corps, Book Fulfillment, 3015 SW First Avenue, Portland, OR 97201. Books may also be ordered by phone at 1-800-292-3355 x250.

Mercy Corps has 15 years of experience in Afghanistan/Pakistan providing humanitarian aid and administering long-term community development programs. The agency currently employs 400 national staff in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This year Mercy Corps assisted more than 500,000 people through drought relief and rehabilitation services, food aid, agricultural support programs, veterinary care for livestock, engineering and drilling wells, health, and sanitation projects. Since 1986, Mercy Corps has completed more than 40 projects totaling more than $20 million in assistance.

For more information, or to contact Mercy Corps International, see their website at: www.mercycorps.org