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Narratives of Afghan Women's Journeys to and Through U.S. Doctoral Programs

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Narratives of Afghan Women's Journeys to and Through U.S. Doctoral Programs University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 8-1-2010 From Kabul to the Academy: Narratives of Afghan Women's Journeys to and Through U.S. Doctoral Programs Bushra Aryan University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Aryan, Bushra, "From Kabul to the Academy: Narratives of Afghan Women's Journeys to and Through U.S. Doctoral Programs" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 36. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/36 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. FROM KABUL TO THE ACADEMY: NARRATIVES OF AFGHAN WOMEN'S JOURNEYS TO AND THROUGH U.S. DOCTORAL PROGRAMS __________ A Dissertation Presented to the Morgridge College of Education University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Bushra Aryan August 2010 Advisor: Dr. Franklin A. Tuitt ©Copyright by Bushra Aryan 2010 All Rights Reserved Author: Bushra Aryan Title: FROM KABUL TO THE ACADEMY: NARRATIVES OF AFGHAN WOMEN'S JOURNEYS TO AND THROUGH U.S. DOCTORAL PROGRAMS Advisor: Dr. Franklin A. Tuitt Degree Date: August 2010 Abstract This study explored the experiences of seven Afghan women pursuing doctoral degrees in a variety of disciplines and programs across the United States. The guiding question for this study was: What factors influence Afghan women‘s journeys to and experiences in doctoral programs? In an attempt to understand Afghan women doctoral students, I provided a historical background of Afghanistan and education in Afghanistan followed by a literature review on South Asian women, the broader category for Afghan women. Within this literature review I explored the following components: culture, gender, immigration, experiences in postsecondary education; all factors that may be influential in the journey of South Asian women in U.S. postsecondary education. Finally, a critical race feminism theoretical framework was utilized to fuse the factors affecting South Asian women in higher education and provide a theoretical guide for further research specifically investigating Afghan women in doctoral programs. Through the use of narrative inquiry, I provided an individual and collective story of the lives of seven Afghan women in U.S. doctoral programs. From these stories, four themes emerged as influential in the lives of the participants. The four themes that emerged were faith, identity, capital, and family. ii Upon a thorough investigation of the themes and multiple sub-themes, several implications and recommendations were made. The findings of the study showed that there are no formulas to understand the complexities in the lives of Afghan women doctoral students, but several intersecting identities and factors that create the journey and help the reader understand their experiences. iii Acknowledgements I am grateful for my baabaa jaan, Mohammad Wali Aryan and his faith in me to become a ―doctor.‖ I wish you were here to see me now. I would like to thank my maadar jaan and paadar jaan, Soria and Ahmad Wali Aryan for their continuous support, encouragement, and prayers through this process. I am grateful to have had the love and support of my brothers, sister-in-laws, nieces, and nephews along the way. I am appreciative of the guidance and support from my committee members. To Dr. Frank Tuitt, you believed in me even when I did not and encouraged me every step of the way to pursue research that I did not think was possible. I am forever grateful for your guidance and support. To Dr. Nicole Nicotera, your guidance and knowledge of research methods has been vital in my success. Dr. Caroline Turner, your work has been an inspiration to me and having you on my committee has been an honor. Finally, to my outside chair, Dr. Frédérique Chevillot, you have been a friend and ally through all of my years at DU and I thank you for your genuine spirit. I am honored to have met and shared time with my wonderful participants. All of you have touched my life in a special way and I am forever grateful for helping me along my journey. I wish you luck as you finish your degrees and hope that life brings you all joy, health, and happiness. Thank you to my work family at the Center for Multicultural Excellence (CME). I am grateful for all the guidance and support from my supervisor, Dr. Fernando Guzman. I am thankful for the daily pep talks, cheers, and advice from all the staff and student staff at CME. I am thankful for the hours of editing that Dr. Jesús Treviño has done for me and the support and guidance he has given me. Thank you to my friend, Melissa Martinez, for serving as an outside reader and a constant support in my DU life. I am grateful for my cousin, Hadeis Safi, who has served as an outside reader and one of my greatest supports throughout this process and in my life. Finally, this process would not have been possible without my ―village.‖ A special thank you to my brilliant friend, Brandi Nicole Van Horn. You have shown me the meaning of true friendship both in the classroom and outside. Thank you for your advice, love, and belief in me. I would not be here without your support and pep talks! Thank you to my friends who have gone before me and guided me through the process with their ―insider‖ tips and knowledge. Thank you to all of my loved ones for your support, encouragement, patience, love, phone dates, text messages, e-mails and coffee/lunch/dinner/shopping breaks throughout this journey. iv Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Introduction and History ......................................................................................... 1 Statement of Purpose .............................................................................................. 3 Afghan History........................................................................................................ 4 History of Afghan Education .................................................................................. 7 Current U.S. Relations ............................................................................................ 8 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................... 10 Overview of Chapters ........................................................................................... 11 Chapter 2: Literature review. .................................................................... 11 Chapter 3: Methodology. .......................................................................... 11 Chapter 4: Narratives. ............................................................................... 12 Chapter 5: Themes. ................................................................................... 12 Chapter 6: Summary, implications, and conclusion. ................................ 12 Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................................ 13 Factors that Affect Women of Color‘s Choice to Pursue Postsecondary Education .............................................................................................................. 14 Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................... 17 Critical race feminism. .............................................................................. 17 Critiques of the theory. ............................................................................. 19 Integrating CRF. ....................................................................................... 20 Literature Review on Factors that Affect South Asian Women ........................... 21 Immigration: Multi-generational Viewpoint on the Effects of Immigration Status on South Asian Women in Higher Education ............................................ 21 History of South Asian immigration. ........................................................ 22 Generational differences and adaptation processes among immigrants. .. 23 South Asian immigrants to the U.S........................................................... 26 Immigrants and U.S. education. ................................................................ 29 Pan-ethnic Asian immigrants in U.S. education. ...................................... 32 CRF and immigrant women. ..................................................................... 34 Gender and Culture: Influence of South Asian Cultural and Gender Norms on the Pursuit of Postsecondary Education ................................................................ 35 Cultural norms and expectations in the South Asian community. ............ 36 Gender norms, expectations, and differences in South Asian culture. ..... 38 CRF, gender, and culture in South Asian communities. ........................... 42 The effects of gender and culture on South Asian women‘s decision to pursue education. ...................................................................................... 43 Higher Education: The Experiences of South Asian Women in U.S. Postsecondary Education .....................................................................................
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