Afghan women, media and democracy: Emerging democracy in post-Taliban Afghanistan

Abstract

The current transformation of post-conflict Afghanistan from a war-torn nation to an emerging democracy, and the evolving role of Afghan women in media, politics, and society in post-Taliban Afghanistan are the backdrop against which the theoretical framework of this thesis are tested. Theories of deliberative democracy are investigated, exploring the synergistic intricacies between media and democracy, assessing the extent to which they influence one another. The central research question guiding this study is what role media play in the midst of or in relation to social change. Through historical data, literary sources and interviews, the thesis demonstrates that post-conflict conditions either facilitate or hinder the development of media and the emergence of democracy. It will be argued that without the equal participation of men and women in society, Afghanistan's emerging democracy will remain weak and vulnerable to both internal and external forces of destruction, blocking the country's path to progress.