Reviewed by Fareeha Rafique

“Right now I am nothing. I was nothing and I am nothing. I was never a man and never a woman.” Shukria is in her mid-30s and a former bacha posh, that is, she lived in disguise as a boy till the age of 17.

At first glance, Jenny Nordberg’s The Underground Girls of Kabul — before one sees the subtitle — seems suggestive of a hidden world of socially-censured activity. The reality, though, is that all activity within the pages of this book is part of accepted norms in Afghanistan.

Nordberg does not tell us what drew her to Afghanistan in the first place. Whatever did though, the concept of bacha posh struck a chord, and Nordberg found herself investigating Afghanistan’s social fabric deeper and deeper.

In Nordberg’s quest to get to the bottom of the mystery she is trying to resolve we traverse history, going back through the centuries, as well as take a cold, hard look at present-day Afghan society — which comes across as having a lot in common with Pakistani as well as Indian conservative segments of society. The echoes, in many places throughout Nordberg’s observations, are resoundingly familiar. For example, when she says: “the ownership of an Afghan girl is literally passed on from one male — her father — to the one who becomes her husband.” Or when she observes: “the responsibility for men’s behaviour, indeed for civilisation itself, rests entirely with women here, and in how they dress and behave.”

This is 21st century Afghanistan, and the social norms laid bare are comparable with much older times. As indeed they are compared with. Throughout history, women have taken on a man’s avatar for various reasons, we are told. Many examples are cited, be it of Zenobia, a 3rd century queen in Syria who grew up as a boy and later fought the Roman Empire on horseback, or of Joan of Arc. What is interesting about the concept of bacha posh is that it is not a creation of the last few tumultuous decades in Afghanistan. Rather, it goes back centuries. Nordberg traces the practice back to the Zoroastrian times in Afghanistan, spanning the 3rd to 7th centuries.

Again, examples are given. Afghan women, for generations, have gone to war in disguise. Villages boast of a character or several. A contemporary example is of 50-year-old Hukmina in the small village of Sharaf Kali who fought the Russians during the war, and she certainly does not fear the Taliban. She was raised as a companion to her brother, and says she “never had the thoughts of a woman. If I felt like a woman I would not be able to do these things.”

The Underground Girls of Kabul is speckled with many such facts and references to history. In her quest for answers, Nordberg speaks to a varied cross-section of people, from the top of the pyramid to the bottom.

But what exactly is bacha posh? It literally translates as “dressed like a boy” in Dari. But beyond the literal, what it means for the child herself is that “although none of the girls chose their boyhood voluntarily, most say they enjoy their borrowed status. It all depends on what they get to do with it. For each child, it boils down to perks versus burdens.” And what may those be? “Those who are part of upper or middle-class families, are often their families’ token of prestige or honour, thriving on speaking up at school and playing violent outdoor games in the neighbourhood. Others, in poor families, are broken down by forced child labour just as the actual boys in the same position often are.”

In most cases, they are conditioned back into dressing and behaving like girls in their early teens, and go on to marry and have children. But there are rebels also: those who do not want to grow up to live their lives as women and opt to remain undercover into adulthood. The psychological repercussions for the bacha posh, and related issues of sexuality, are also delved into by Nordberg.

The book is narrated like a story, with case studies of people (many of whom Nordberg befriended) fragmented by research, philosophy, introspection and the merest occasional slip of sarcasm. The narrative goes back and forth a bit. Azita is the main protagonist, and we follow her fascinating life-story. She is indeed the linchpin of this book. A bacha posh for a few years in her life, her youngest of four daughters, Mehran (Mahnoush), is being brought up as one too. Azita’s is a story of courage, hope and fighting the odds. We are elated at her triumphs, and crestfallen at her defeats, in her personal life as well as political career. Nevertheless, that Azita’s tale remains centre-stage right till the very end is something that seems off-kilter. After all, the central theme of researching the phenomenon of bacha posh should remain the focal point.

From stumbling upon the first bacha posh (Azita’s daughter Mehran) to dissecting the phenomenon, Nordberg takes the reader along as she makes her discoveries. Early on, the premise is established that “the absolute need for a son trumps everything else.” Nordberg does not come across anyone who refutes this. Indeed, as obstetrician Dr Fareiba emphasises, “we are the Pashtun people. We need the son.” Thus, Nordberg inches towards the understanding that “It is how things always worked in this country, where tribal law and strict patrilineal tradition have historically offered a higher degree of stability than most governments.” And so, the temporary phony son is preferable to none at all — to save face socially, to be an extra earning hand, and to magically influence the creation of actual boys for her parents.

Nordberg observes that “Afghanistan has many other worries on its mind. A girl who grows up in boys’ clothing is not an affront — in fact, it only confirms the established order, in which men have all the privileges.” Her quest can go no further. The bigger picture — Afghanistan — has bigger problems, too. This then, a smaller issue, in itself the result of centuries of tradition, is something that will exist until the social order rewarding men changes.

The Underground Girls of Kabul: The Hidden Lives of Afghan Girls Disguised as Boys

(SOCIOLOGY)

By Jenny Nordberg

Virago, UK

ISBN 978-1-84408-774-7

350pp.