TITLE:
Women in the Shadow: The Cultural Identity of Afghanistan Women in Khaled Hosseini’s Novel
AUTHORS:
Himatus Sya’adah, Setya Yuwana Sudikan, Anas Ahmadi, Darni Darni
KEYWORDS:
Cultural Identity, Afghan Women, Khaled Hosseini
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.12 No.12,
December
12,
2024
ABSTRACT: This research aims to reveal the cultural identity of Afghan women in Khaled Hosseini’s novel. The image of Afghan women has never been separated from the color of hegemony in social, cultural, political, and religious contexts. As a Muslim country with patriarchal dominance, Afghanistan deals with women’s struggle to obtain their rights in public and domestic spaces. This issue is captured in various literary works as a reflection of the image of women. One of the writers who explores the lives of Afghan women critically, vividly, and combining beauty is Khaled Hosseini through his masterpiece entitled A Thousand Splendid Suns. This research uses a qualitative approach to Mary Jane Collier’s cultural concept. The data in this research shows the findings of five women’s cultural identities that are reflected in the storyline: 1) Modes of expression; 2) Individual, relational, and communal identity; 3) Enduring and changing aspects of identity; 4) Affective, cognitive, and behavioral identity, and 5) Content and relationship levels. Women’s cultural identity greatly influences the forms of hegemony and attitudes of women in Afghanistan in everyday life. It has been passed down from generation to generation, thus becoming a social stereotype.