Member-only story
The women’s movement in post-republic Afghanistan: Examining role, formation, and success factors
Mostafa Matin wrote this article for the Zan Times in Persian, translated into English by Rustam Seerat.
Although the term “women’s movement” has a broader meaning than feminism, it is considered almost equivalent since women’s activism in the last century has its roots in the dual quest for freedom and equality. However, one can speak of a “movement” when individual desires transform into collective action and essentially take the shape of a social movement. Thus, such a movement is the deliberate, persistent, and focused effort of a social group to achieve common goals, such as reforming, preserving, changing, or eliminating the existing social system (Aghabakhshi and Afshari-Raad, 1383/2004: 683). As one of the most significant social movements of recent times, the women’s movement plays a remarkable role in shaping new objectives and values. Historically, the oppression and deprivation of women have long-standing roots, and economic subordination, exclusion from political power, and men’s control over gender relations have been equally ancient. Successful social movements usually need a set of clearly defined goals. For instance, a social movement aiming to improve the situation of a group of people will…
