Jenny Nordberg's The Underground Girls Of Kabul: Analysis

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Within Afghanistan, there is a hidden subculture of bacha posh. A bacha posh is a girl who, usually at her family’s insistence, dresses and acts like a man. In Jenny Nordberg’s novel The Underground Girls of Kabul, the practice of creating, being, and transitioning from a bacha posh is explored. Nordberg interviews many women who were or are bacha posh, along with professionals, as she tries to discover why such a practice exists, and how it can survive in such a patriarchal society. Nordberg also explores the potential feminist motives behind this practice. Afghanistan and its culture is a mystery to many western societies, it is for this reason that it is imperative that we understand why this behavior is needed and how if affects the society as a whole. There are positives and negatives to every situation, including bacha posh, and it is important that the world understands both parts of the practice that is known as bacha posh because this tradition causes more harm to the society than good. Nothing in this world is without the potential for a positive outcome, this is especially true with the practice of being a bacha posh. Having a bacha posh can be economically advantageous, as in the case of Azita. Azita was the eldest daughter in a family …show more content…

In Afghanistan this is called bacha posh and it is done in secret. Though the reasons for becoming a bacha posh may vary from economical reasons to simply needing a boy in the family to fulfill the societal need for a son, and a pretend boy is better than none, the hidden practice carries its own set of pros and cons. Both the positives and the negatives need to be carefully evaluated as the consequences of not doing so can be dire. If one does not understand and evaluate the complexities of this decision then the daughter that is made into a boy may face severe hardships that in turn may cause the entire family and maybe even the society to be

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