Abstract
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This exploratory study examined Afghan Diasporic writers and their fictional literary works, in order to provide sociopolitical, sociocultural, historical, and economic insights into the Afghan experience. Afghan Diasporic writers serve as proxies for Afghan writers who lived in Afghanistan during the recent dark period of Afghan history (1992-2002). Afghan Diasporic literature constitutes a viable option for explaining issues facing contemporary Afghanistan and the Afghan Diaspora by serving as a pedagogical instrument that can raise critical consciousness into miserable and challenging conditions. The study addressed the research question: "What are the societal realities and human conditions of a nation and its people, as perceived through the lenses of selected diasporic writers?" The theoretical framework of the study was guided by the sociological theory of literature based on the concept that writers are public figures whose writings influence how a society's culture is preserved or changed especially when addressing taboo topics. The study synthesized background information on Afghanistan and the Afghan Diaspora, the history of Afghan literary fiction, the conditions of Afghan Diasporic writers, and the common characteristic themes found in Afghan literary works. The primary sources used in the study included The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and three collections of short stories, Dar Goriz Gom Mishawim (In Flight We Disappear), Nowroz Faqat Dar Kabul Ba Safa Ast (New Year's is Only Genuine in Kabul), and Inak Danmark (This is Denmark), by Muhammad Asef Soltanzadeh. After the fictional works were critically examined using thematic content analysis, a Freirean approach of the themes were constructed as problem-posing generative issues such as gender relations, ethno-religious tensions, identity crisis, religious extremism, war conditions, life in the diaspora, calamities stemming from and contributing to ethnic conflicts and tensions in Afghanistan, and taboo topics in the psyche of Afghans, either voluntarily or by coercion. Lastly, the study made recommendations for further research opportunities in using literature as a pedagogical tool for problem-posing education in pursuit of social justice, democracy, and multiculturalism in society.
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