Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Narratives of Motherwork, Agency, and Resilience: An Oral History of Afghan Immigrant Mothers in the Pacific Northwest Diaspora

Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/j3860f003

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • Using intersectional, matricentric feminist of color approaches, this study interrogates the particularities of Afghan immigrants' mothering experiences—as one of the hidden facets of their lived experience—in the United States from a life-course perspective. Using a combination of feminist oral historical approaches, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation, this thesis explores the textures of maternal experiences to gain insight on how these mothers navigate through two overlapping contexts that frame their lives. The first context comprises women’s recollections of mothering in the midst of oppression and war in Afghanistan. These narratives specifically reveal the ways in which gender and, in some cases, ethnicity shape women’s experiences of conflict at home in Afghanistan. As will be explored, the stories they share help rupture dominant Western characterizations of mothers as “passive victims” in the protracted wars waged in the country spanning the last four decades. The second key context focuses on life in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and reveals how Afghan mothers experience the twin processes of cultural alienation and adaptation. This work ultimately provides a unique window into the intimate space of mothering, home, and family for a small group of Afghan mothers living outside the traditional diasporic hubs of the United States.
License
Resource Type
Date Issued
Degree Level
Degree Name
Degree Field
Degree Grantor
Commencement Year
Advisor
Committee Member
Academic Affiliation
Rights Statement
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • This MA degree was funded by Fulbright scholarship.
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Embargo reason
  • Ongoing Research
Embargo date range
  • 2020-04-10 to 2021-05-11

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

In Collection:

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details RezaiFatima2020.pdf 2020-04-10 Public Download