Finding the Goddess in the Shadows: Unveiling Her Essence in Afghanistan
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
First Statement of Responsibility
Mariam Harris
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Corbett, Lionel
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Pacifica Graduate Institute
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2016
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item
203
GENERAL NOTES
Text of Note
Committee members: Olson, Julie; Stanizai, Zaman
NOTES PERTAINING TO PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC.
Text of Note
Place of publication: United States, Ann Arbor; ISBN=978-1-369-29418-7
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
Ph.D.
Discipline of degree
Depth Psychotherapy
Body granting the degree
Pacifica Graduate Institute
Text preceding or following the note
2016
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
Afghanistan as a nation has a deep spiritual culture that has been influenced by many rich and varied traditions, including but not limited to Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Islam. It is a great irony that today, the name of Afghanistan is mainly linked to the Taliban and its oppression of women. Much has been written diving deep into Afghanistan's past history and analyzing the suffering of its women, but there is no literature that looks at Afghan women's rights from a depth psychology perspective. The goal of this dissertation is to get a deeper understanding of women's rights in Afghanistan through a depth psychological lens. Mythology forms history and as a result forms culture. Therefore, it is important to explore what mythological goddesses have governed Afghanistan. This dissertation employs an alchemical hermeneutic design and organic inquiry to explore how religion, culture, and male wounding play out within the context of confining Afghan women, and allows for a new narrative of Afghan women and Afghan culture to be told from a depth psychological perspective. The narrative will reveal the presence of goddess energy as a healing component in the everyday life of Afghans.