Abstract

Dancing in the Masque is one of the masterpieces of feminist critic, activist and Afghan writer Homeira Qadari, which is an effort toward the emergence of liberal feminism as a collection of searing letters to her son. Through her moving and aching narrative the author challenges the reinterpretation of the concepts of immolation, sacrifice, survival, motherhood and womanhood. This paper analyzes the portrayal of Afghan women in “Dancing in the Mosque”. It also examines the herculean life of Afghan women in a theocratic and patriarchal society like Afghanistan. The miserable narrative of Afghan women has been reflected in various parts of the memoir through different characters, and even the writer herself as a symbolic representation of the Afghan women. The objective nature of Afghan women has been interpreted into multilayers with the strictures of a misogynistic social hierarchy where in many cases women are excluded and intentionally deprived of the basic rights. This paper contributes to the critical studies and analysis of upcoming researches in this regard. This piece of literary work is qualitative in nature so it is an outcome of common reflections of the memoir and her relevant works.

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