Modern Middle East Series - 17: The Performance of Emotion Among Paxtun Women

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Sharing tales of misfortune is a common practice among women in many cultures. Among the Paxtun women of Afghanistan and Pakistan, articulating ones despondency (gham) is part of a ritual which serves to establish and maintain relationships. Moreover, it also qualifies her to be a woman of honor. Grima draws a parallel between this ritual and the infamous male practice of honor killing. Her research is based on narratives encompassing Paxtun women's life histories, misfortunes, and ailments as well as the contexts in which these stories are normally recounted. Her access to different levels of Paxtun society enables her to express the diverse ways in which this ritual is performed throughout their culture.