Responses to the rapid reactionary social change: A social-psychological investigation of young Afghan women’s experiences during the Second-Taliban era

Abstract

How do members of disadvantaged groups respond to the rapid reactionary changes? To explore this question, the paper delves into the experiences of a highly discriminated group, young Afghan women, after the Taliban’s return in 2021. We analysed the data derived from 35 interviews with women (aged 19–32) living in Afghanistan. Our findings indicate that anti-women regulations have severely undermined Afghan women’s basic psychological needs for safety, security, autonomy, competence, and social bonding. Additionally, we show that acts of violence against women undermine women’s human dignity, facilitated by dehumanising women. We also explore the restrictions imposed by the ruling powers and cultural hierarchies that aim to render women invisible and keep them in a domestic prison. While resistance is not ubiquitous among Afghan women, those who do resist often use less overt forms, due to the anticipated repression, such as establishing secret online schools for girls. Our findings also indicate that a shared social identity and nostalgia for past achievements contribute to resistance. Besides that, migration to other countries is widely perceived as an individual response to the feeling of threat, frustration and hopelessness.