{"product_id":"pious-peripheries-runaway-women-in-post-taliban-afghanistan","title":"Pious Peripheries: Runaway Women in Post-Taliban Afghanistan","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this review of Pious Peripheries: Runaway Women in Post-Taliban Afghanistan, the book is recommended for readers seeking a grounded, human-centered study of gender and religion in contemporary Afghanistan. Sonia Ahsan-Tirmizi delivers careful ethnographic fieldwork at a Kabul women's shelter, providing the clearest single reason to read it: the book reveals how women labeled as promiscuous or runaway navigate social, religious, and legal pressures with inventive resistance. This review highlights its value for scholars and engaged readers who want firsthand perspectives on gendered power, not a broad historical survey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrounded ethnography:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fieldwork at a Kabul women's shelter offers direct, on-the-ground accounts of runaway wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters and their daily struggles.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFocus on resistance:\u003c\/strong\u003e The book emphasizes how women develop new strategies to challenge patriarchal practices and reinterpret gendered power mechanisms.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReligious and social analysis:\u003c\/strong\u003e Attention to how Islam and local norms are used to regulate behavior explains state and social policing of piety.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRange of motivations:\u003c\/strong\u003e Case studies show diverse reasons women run away, from seeking marriage or divorce to escaping abuse or being accused of moral transgression.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrates scarcity of resources:\u003c\/strong\u003e The narrative demonstrates how women marked as promiscuous face limited legal and social options, highlighting structural inequality.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePious Peripheries will appeal to students and scholars of gender studies, Islamic studies, and South Asian politics as well as journalists and aid workers who need nuanced, person-centered insight into contemporary Afghan society. The book's strength is its close focus on a single shelter, making it especially useful for those wanting detailed qualitative evidence rather than a broad comparative sweep.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReaders looking for a comprehensive history of the Taliban, a policy handbook, or quantitative analysis should look elsewhere; this is a focused ethnographic study that privileges lived experience and interpretive analysis over macro-level policy prescriptions or large-scale statistical claims.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003ePros \u0026amp; Cons\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides rare primary fieldwork from a Kabul women's shelter that centers women's voices and daily realities.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOffers clear analysis of how religious and social norms operate as mechanisms of control and how women resist them.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBalances individual case narratives with broader reflections on patriarchal practices and scarce resources for labeled women.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe focused shelter case study means the book does not serve as a broad comparative survey of all Afghan regions or historical periods.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTitle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePious Peripheries: Runaway Women in Post-Taliban Afghanistan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAuthor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSonia Ahsan-Tirmizi\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSubject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWomen, gender, Islam and social change in Afghanistan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMethod\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEthnographic fieldwork at a women's shelter in Kabul\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFocus\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRunaway women: marriage, divorce, abuse, and accusations of promiscuity\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePerspective\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eQualitative, case-based analysis of resistance and negotiation\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePious Peripheries is a valuable, tightly focused ethnography that should be read by anyone seeking concrete, human-centered insight into how Afghan women negotiate gendered power under post-Taliban conditions. Its concentrated shelter-based fieldwork makes it good value for scholars and practitioners who prioritize qualitative evidence and lived experience over broad surveys.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes this book include firsthand fieldwork?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYes. The author conducted ethnographic research at a women's shelter in Kabul, grounding the book in direct interviews and observation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat kinds of women are described?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe study focuses on runaway wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters who left homes for reasons including seeking marriage or divorce, escaping abuse, or facing moral accusations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this a policy manual?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo. It is an interpretive ethnographic study aimed at understanding lived experiences and resistance rather than providing policy prescriptions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sonia Ahsan-Tirmizi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48241019289819,"sku":"1503614700","price":110.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1043\/1707\/files\/91gpA2D2uXL._SL1500.jpg?v=1771090825","url":"https:\/\/gearmusthave.com\/products\/pious-peripheries-runaway-women-in-post-taliban-afghanistan","provider":"GearMustHave","version":"1.0","type":"link"}