The Architecture of Traditional and Modern Afghan Houses and the Fundamentalist Regime: Impacts on Women's Lives

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2446-5240.malala.2023.213897

Keywords:

Architecture, Gender Equality, Afghan women, Modernization, Taliban

Abstract

This research investigates the relation between the architectural attributes of traditional and modern houses in Afghanistan and the constraints imposed on Afghan women’s lives by considering recent incidents. This study draws upon a combination of historical sources and news articles pertaining to contemporary Afghan affairs as its primary data sources. Additionally, it comparatively analyzes two houses — one exemplifying the traditional Afghan design and another, modern architecture — in the City of Herat, Afghanistan. By highlighting the interplay between architectural features and their implications for women’s lives, this research aims to shed light on this dwelling relationship. The findings of this research indicate that urban areas more conspicuously manifest modernization in physical aspects, evinced by the prevalence of modern residential houses. However, with the initiation of new restrictions imposed by the Taliban after 2021, modern houses (characterized by more limited open spaces than traditional ones) engender heightened vulnerability for Afghan women. Thus, confining women within these modern houses deleteriously impacts their physical and mental well-being.

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Author Biographies

  • Sayed Abdul Basir Samimi, School of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Sao Paulo

    Visiting Researcher at the School of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Sao Paulo. He obtained his Postdoctoral and Doctoral degree from the University of the Ryukyus, Japan, in the field of Engineering (Interdisciplinary Intelligent Systems Engineering) from the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan (2018). He holds a Master's degree in Urban and Territorial Analysis and Planning from the University of Florence, Florence, Italy (2013), and a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Herat University (2010), Herat, Afghanistan. His area of interest includes architecture and conservation of cultural heritages, urban transformation, and sustainable regional development. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2474-2565. Email: Samimi_1220@yahoo.com, Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6667250885230745.

  • Artur Simões Rozestraten, Technology Department of the School of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo

    Associate Professor at the Technology Department of the School of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo (2008). He holds a PhD in Urban Environmental Structures Concentration: History of Architecture and History of Arts at the Post-graduation program of the School of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (2007); Habilitation Professorship in Architecture and Urbanism Design Representation (2017); M.A. in Urban Environmental Structures, Concentration: History of Architecture and History of Arts (2003); B.A. in Architecture and Urbanism, at the School of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil (1995). He coordinates the Arquigrafia 4.0 Experience as a thematic FAPESP research project. His area of interest concerns architectural representation, architectural and urban imaginary and contemporary technology topics. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9030-6182. Email: artur.rozestraten@usp.br, Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/9297674836039953.

  • Júnia Aparecida Laia da Mata, Department of Maternal and Child Nursing at the School of Nursing of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)

    Associate Professor at the Department of Maternal and Child Nursing at the School of Nursing of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Professor in the Postgraduate Program in Nursing at UFRGS. Doctor of Health Sciences from the Nursing School of the State University of Campinas - FEnf/UNICAMP (2017); Master of Science with an emphasis on Education and Health in Childhood and Adolescence from the Federal University of São Paulo - UNIFESP (2011); Postgraduate in Obstetric Nursing (2007); Postgraduate in Family Health (2009); Graduated in Nursing (2007). A former scholar of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, in the program "Strengthening Health System for Maternal and Child Health through Public Health Activities," held in Japan (2016). She leads the Interdisciplinary Group for Studies and Research on Planned Home Birth (GIEPDP) - UFRGS. She has experience in the areas of Clinical Nursing, Teaching, and Research, with a focus on Maternal and Child Health, Neuroscience and Childbirth, Education and Health in Childhood and Adolescence, Perinatal Education, Integrative and Complementary Health Practices (PICS), and Scientific Research in Nursing and Women Health. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9062-8536. Email: jumata.2905@gmail.com. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/5860573628004372.

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Published

2023-12-20

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 14 (2023)

Section

Artigos

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Copyright (c) 2023 Sayed Abdul Basir Samimi, Artur Simoes Rozestraten, Júnia Aparecida Laia da Mata

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How to Cite

Samimi, S. A. B., Rozestraten, A. S., & Mata, J. A. L. da. (2023). The Architecture of Traditional and Modern Afghan Houses and the Fundamentalist Regime: Impacts on Women’s Lives. Malala, International Journal of Studies on the Middle East and the Muslim World, 11(14), 112-127. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2446-5240.malala.2023.213897

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