Unequal Virtual Terrains

Melissa Kerr Chiovenda

South Asian Survey, 2013, vol. 20, issue 1, 6-21

Abstract: Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) became a well-known feminist organisation during the rule of the Taliban, when it dedicated itself to bringing the abuses of Taliban against women in Afghanistan to worldwide attention. RAWA was briefly allied with the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) when this United States (US)-based organisation also made the plight of women in Afghanistan a priority. However, disagreements between the two organisations soon came to light. This article examines the experiences of RAWA’s interactions with FMF using Appadurai’s imaginary landscapes as a theoretical basis. RAWA’s experiences demonstrate the disjunctures and unevenness that are part of these landscapes. While initially very successful in spreading its messages through its website, RAWA struggled to become a strong political player in Afghanistan and internationally, partly due to unwillingness to compromise and partly because of the difficulties faced in navigating the uneven terrain of mediascapes and ideoscapes upon which it used to promote its cause.

Keywords: Women; gender; Afghanistan; media; transnationalism; globalisation; feminism; RAWA; FMF; Internet (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:soasur:v:20:y:2013:i:1:p:6-21

DOI: 10.1177/0971523114559815

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