article
Social structure and the veil: comportment and the composition of interaction in Afghanistan
Anthropos • 77 (3/4) • Published In 1982 • Pages: 397-320
By: Anderson, Jon W..
Abstract
Among the Ghilzai Pashtun of Afghanistan, women are veiled or secluded from those men in the society with whom there is a potential for marriage. According to Anderson avoidance is mutual between men and women; he says that …'men 'veil' too -- and cognate behaviors occur in other relationships where differentiation is deemphasized as the focus of interaction' (p. 397). Two forms of symbolism associated with the veil are HAJAH or extreme politeness and a 'rough' mode of interaction between individuals in which relationships are framed in terms of differences between participants. The author's interpretation of the ways in which the veil is used and the placement of the veil in the context of meaings seem to suggest that its significance is not so much to keep men and women apart but to bring them together by regulating the terms in which they are socially present. Changes in the practice are consistent with alterations of social contexts rather than with changes in ideas about the identities of men and women (p. 397).
- HRAF PubDate
- 2002
- Region
- Asia
- Sub Region
- Central Asia
- Document Type
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- John Beierle ; 2001
- Field Date
- no date
- Coverage Date
- not specified
- Coverage Place
- Ghilzai Pashtun, Afghanistan
- Notes
- Jon W. Anderson
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 419-420)
- LCCN
- 07021775
- LCSH
- Pushtuns