(B)ordering South of Lebanon: Hizbullah’s identity building strategy

International audienceThis paper examines the importance of the Lebanese southern borderland area in the political strategy of Hizbullah's identity building. It highlights how Hizbullah succeeded in its quest to become a major political player in Lebanon by using South Lebanon. The main hypothesis is that this borderland area has been ordered and bordered by Hizbullah to create a common identity among the Lebanese Shi'i population based on a Shi'i religious involvement and the " duty " of armed resistance against Israel. To support this idea, I will rely on a theoretical framework articulating space and identity building and will refer to concepts provided by Middle Eastern studies. In the first part of the paper, I will discuss the conditions of the emergence of the group of solidarity and how it articulates to the religious Shi'i ideology. Then, I will highlight the " lebanonization " process Hizbullah undertaken at the end of the civil war and how during the 1990s it transformed the South into a sanctuary. Finally, I will show how Hizbullah enforced the national legitimacy of its social, political and military actions before targeting the state apparatus

Afghan Women’s Resistance and Struggle in Afghanistan and Diasporic Communities, 2004-2005

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.Afghan Women’s Resistance and Struggle in Afghanistan and Diasporic Communities, 2004-2005 aimed to develop a better understanding of Afghan women's resistance to war and violent conflicts; their engagement with multiple worlds as refugees or living in exile, their struggle for survival and/or their acquisition of new knowledge and power. The study investigated the vast diversity (class, age, ethnicity, religion) of women's experiences in the process of historical changes (in times of war and conflict, in exile and in times of peace making) and the different ways they emerge as autonomous agents and construct their identities, in culturally specific circumstances. The research assessed the gendered nature of social exclusion, and the importance of women's inclusion in the processes of reconstruction and peace making. Semi-structured interviews were used to study Afghan women (and some men) in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, UK and USA. Respondents were chosen to represent a sample of diverse groups (students, teachers, non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) workers, United Nations (UN) workers, journalists, women and men in refugee camps) according to their religiosity, ethnicity, age, marital status, fertility rate, class, citizenship status, employment status and political, social and cultural activities. Detailed demographic information about each respondent is recorded in the data listing. Further information is available from the ESRC award page. Main Topics:The interviews cover experiences of Afghan women (and some men) in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, UK and USA. Some of the issues investigated include:experience in Iran, Pakistan, the UK and the USAexperience under Taliban ruleinvolvement and views on the reconstruction of Afghanistaneducationemploymentnational and cultural identitygender issues</ul

Gender, Agency and Identity, the Case of Afghan Women in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran

This paper will discuss how Afghan women, as diverse groups, exercised autonomy and agency in diaspora (Iran and Pakistan) and in Afghanistan under US-led invasion. Negotiations between social, political, economic, ethnic, cultural and gender spheres are a constant battle for Afghan women. They have invented different ways of coping with life, under the most extreme forms of coercion, fear and high levels of uncertainties. In diaspora, despite marginalisation, they established women's voices and agency. Exile became an important factor to reshape their identity according to their diverse positions. Under NATO and US-led invasion they are challenging imperialist representation of Afghan women. They are seeking freedom from hierarchical and patriarchal domination. They hope that their active agency will enable them to establish their own identity free from male, ethnic, religious and imperial domination. The paper will draw the attention of the reader to the enormous influence of state policies (Afghanistan/US, Iran, Pakistan), as well as the impact of women's movement in Iran and the NGOs in Pakistan, on the lives of Afghan women and men in Afghanistan and diasporic communities.