CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………….. 5-10

CHAPTER I. AFGHAN – AMERICAN LITERATURE………………11-14

1.1 DIASPORA LITERATURE……..……………………………………..15- 30

1.2 MARYAM QUDRAT ASSEL ………………………………………....30 -45

Chapter II. CULTURE AND RELIGIOUS IN “TORN BETWEEN TWO

CULTURES”………………………………………………………………..

2.1 LITERATURE AND HISTORY………………………………………….

2.2 RELIGIOUS………………………………………………………………

Chapter III. WRITING STYLE OF THE AUTHOR……………………..

3.1 MARGINALISM…………………………………………………………

3.2 MANNER OF WRITING………………………………………………..

CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………….

USED LITERATURES………………………………………………………

APPENDIX…………………………………………………………………….
 Introduction

After being an independent republic of our country there have been

tremendous changes in the political, economical and social life of our people.
And also particularly attention is paid to the preparation of highly-talented,
intellectual, new skilled professionals in all spheres of production.
Within the implementation of the Resolution of the President of the Republic of
Uzbekistan “About measures for further improvement of system of learning of
foreign languages” (No 1875, 2012) it is noted that the main goal of our
government from adopting this law is aimed for “cardinal improvement of system
of training of younger generation in foreign languages, the training of specialists
which are fluent in them by introduction of the advanced methods of teaching with
use of modern pedagogical and information-communication technologies and on
this basis of creation of conditions and opportunities for their broad access to
achievements of a world civilization and to world information resources,
developments of the international cooperation and communication.”
This decree gifted us a powerful impulse for enhancing linguistic education in our
country through enlargement of the widespread interactions with foreign
colleagues and promotion of the effective up-to-date educational technologies into
training affording to the global principles.
One of such inductive methods we may reflect the research-based attitude, which
is owing to the student involvement makes the learning more relevant, encouraging
students to develop their own agency and critical thinking skills.
Inquiry-based approach provides some basic information that will open doors
inviting students into reading English books .
Poetry became a weapon during the American Revolution, with both loyalists and
Continentals urging their forces on, stating their arguments, and celebrating their
heroes in verse and songs such as “Yankee Doodle,” “Nathan Hale,” and “The
Epilogue,” mostly set to popular British melodies and in manner resembling other
British poems of the period.
The most memorable American poet of the period was Philip Freneau, whose first
well-known poems, Revolutionary War satires, served as effective propaganda;
later he turned to various aspects of the American scene. Although he wrote much
in the stilted manner of the Neoclassicists, such poems as “The Indian Burying
Ground,” “The Wild Honey Suckle,” “To a Caty-did,” and “On a Honey Bee”
were romantic lyrics of real grace and feeling that were forerunners of a literary
movement destined to be important in the 19th century. In the years toward the
close of the 18th century, both dramas and novels of some historical importance
were produced.1
The 20th and 21st centuries have been a time of both astonishing and catastrophic
technological, cultural and environmental changes. In grappling with these
transformations, novelists, poets, playwrights and directors have forged new forms,
experimented with new media and sought new sources of inspiration.

1
 CHAPTER I. AFGHAN – AMERICAN LITERATURE

1.1 DIASPORA LITERATURE.

A diaspora is an old phenomenon, signifying dispersed people outside

their homeland who sustain their ties with homeland. In other words we can say
Diaspora is an ancient social formation comprising people living out of their
ancestral homeland retaining their loyalties towards their co-ethics and their
homeland from which they were forced off.
A diaspora (/daɪˈæspərə/ dy-ASP-ər-ə) is a population that is scattered
across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. The word is
used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but
currently reside elsewhere. 2
The term "diaspora" is from the Greek verb διασπείρω (diaspeirō), "I
scatter", "I spread about" which in turn is composed of Δίας (Dias=Zeus),
and σπορᾱ́ (sporā́) f sowing of seed (like Zeus Georgos seminated his sons and
daughters all around the world.) The term became more widely assimilated into
English by the mid 1950s, with long-term expatriates in significant numbers from
other particular countries or regions also being referred to as a diaspora. An
academic field, diaspora studies, has become established relating to this sense of
the word.3
“Diaspora” (from the Greek word for “scattering”) refers to the dispersion of a
people from their homeland. A simple definition of diaspora literature, then,
would be works that are written by authors who live outside their native land. The
term identifies a work’s distinctive geographic origins.4
The oldest known use of the word "diaspora" in English is in 1594 in John Stock
wood’s translation of Lambert Dane au’s commentary on the Twelve Prophets.
Brubaker also noted that the use of the term diaspora has been widening. He
suggests that one element of this expansion in use "involves the application of the
2
www.qantara.de.
3
www.qantara.de.
4
Oxford Dictionary. Cambridge.dictionary.org
term diaspora to an ever-broadening set of cases: essentially to any and every
nameable population category that is to some extent dispersed in space". 5
However, the current entry on "diaspora" in the Oxford English Dictionary
Online cites the first recorded use a century later to 1694, in a work on ordination
by the Welsh theologian James Owen. Owen wanted to determine that there is no
distinction in the Bible between Presbyters and Bishops; he noted the sample of the
Jews in expatriation.6
The author depicts an ordinary segment in all forms of Diaspora; these are
individuals who live outside their 'natal (or imagined natal) territories' and recollect
that their traditional own country are reflected deeply in the languages, which they
speak, religion they accept, and cultures they put together. Each of the categories
of Diasporas has a root a certain source of migration usually related to a particular
groups of people.
So for instance, the Africans the other side of their knowledge of slavery have been
considered to be sufferer of very quarrelsome transmigration policies.
When the Bible was translated into Greek, the word diaspora was applied in
reference to the Kingdom of Samaria which was exiled from Israel by
the Assyrians between 740 and 722 BC, as well as Jews, Benjaminites, and Levites
who were exiled from the Kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians in 587 BC, and
Jews who were exiled from Roman Judea by the Roman Empire in 70 AD.7
But diaspora literature may also be defined by its contents, regardless of where it
was written. For example, the story of Joseph is often called a “diaspora story”
because although its final form was written within the land of Israel, it describes
how Joseph learns to survive outside his homeland. The book of Job, too, may be
an example of diaspora literature because it was likely written in the wake of the
Babylonian destruction, which gave rise to the question, why would God punish
Israel, the chosen people, with such mass suffering?8
In the broadest possible terms, the entire Septuagint could be described as
5
Vertovec, S `Three meanings of diaspora , exampled among South Asian religions’,Diaspora, 1997.
6
Oxford English Dictionary Online
7
www.qantara.de.
8
Nazemi, Latif. “A Look at Persian Literature in Afghanistan”. Online 2007
diaspora literature, because it is the work of Jews living outside their homeland—
and their translation reflects that orientation. But specific books within it, such as
the books of Tobit and Judith, which feature Jewish protagonists living outside the
land or under foreign domination and which reflect on how the Jews might conduct
themselves in this situation, could be described as especially diaspora because of
their contents and concerns.9
We could also draw a distinction between exile and diaspora to further
define what diaspora literature is. The difference between exile and diaspora may
lie in a book’s attitude toward the homeland and toward the migration. Exile
emphasizes the forced nature of the migration and the freshness of the experience
of leaving the homeland; exile is not neutral and exiled peoples usually possess a
single-minded desire to return to their homeland. Time is also a factor: exilic
literature may be written during the Babylonian exile of the sixth century B.C.E.,
when the experience and memory of it was still vivid.10
In contrast, living “in diaspora” may assume a certain accommodation to
living away from the homeland—and a sense that it is possible to survive and even
thrive in the adopted country. Diaspora implies a more neutral or even a more
positive view than exile does. Diaspora literature may be mindful of the ancestral
native land, but the nostalgia for it has lessened, if not disappeared. And a diaspora
literature is, moreover, engaged by the possibilities of the new location. Finally, it
may be written well after the Babylonian exile by Jews who chose not to return.
Diaspora living stops short of assimilation because the community still maintains
its distinctive identity and its status as a minority people. 11 The diaspora book of
Daniel, for example, celebrates Daniel’s refusal to assimilate to the pressures of the
gentile court—such as his refusal to eat the nonkosher food at the king’s table.
The book of Esther could also be described as diaspora literature, regardless of
where it was written, because it reflects on what it means to be a Jew living outside
the land—with all the accompanying dangers and opportunities.12
9
Khosravi S. A fragmented diaspora: Iranians in Sweden. Nordic Journal of Migration Research. 2018
10
Vertovec, S. (1997) `Three meanings of diaspora , exemplied among South Asian religions’,Diaspora,p 277-79
11
Giddens A Modernity and self-identity. California: Stanford. University Press. 1991.
12
Khosravi S. A fragmented diaspora: Iranians in Sweden. Nordic Journal of Migration Research. 2018
 These books’ soft images of the uncertainties of diaspora reality have presented
them durable attraction; their contemplation on governorship and self-sacrifice for
the good of the general public resonates with those who struggle with the of their
own diaspora existences. Most early discussions of the diaspora were firmly
established in a conceptual 'homeland'; they were connected with a paradigmatic
thesis, or a small number of main cases.
The paradigmatic thesis was, of course, the Jewish diaspora; some
dictionary explanations of diaspora, until lately, did not merely illustrate but
defined the word with reference to that case.
Diaspora, with its original meaning as the movement of the Jewish people
away from their own country to live and work in other countries, refers to the
dispersion or spreading of something that was originally localized, as a people or
language or culture. Diaspora literature thus came into being in this cultural
context. The great galaxy of eminent diaspora writers includes Noble Prize winners
in literature in recent decades such as V. S. Naipaul, J. M. Coetzee, Doris Lessing,
and Kazuo Ishiguro, to name only a few. With unique diaspora experiences,
diaspora writers find it difficult to secure a sense of belonging, physically,
mentally and culturally, either at home or in host countries. 13
They are often ignored in the circle of national literature on one hand and
can’t obtain a desirable place in the creative literature of the host nations on the
other. The situation is changing, however, in favor of diaspora writers, for they
foresee a potential field for translation and translation studies. Thus diaspora
literature is now a promising area for translation in a global world. Linguistic
hybridity, a distinct feature of diaspora literature works, poses challenges and
provides chances for translators in their theoretical and practical explorations.
The collision and coexistence between the mother tongue and the host language
create creolization.14

13
Gunn, Giles. The Interpretation of Otherness: Literature, Religion, and the American Imagination. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1979.
14
Kofman E Family-related migration: A critical review of European studies. Journalof Ethnic and Migration
Studies 30(2): 243–262. 2004.
 How to translate the particular linguistic phenomenon becomes a matter of “to
be or not to be,” only by combined efforts of skill, wisdom and life experience can
they get a better solution. While some poor scholars and translators are desperately
struggling and tortured in their practice, others have turned to approach linguistic
hybridity from the perspectives of functionalism, communication theory, poly-
system theory.
Métissage of cultural elements brings new topics for translation studies in
different paradigms because translation studies can never avoid the issue of
heterogeneity in a diaspora literature work. Written in a host language for the host
audience, these kinds of works are infiltrated with profound home language and
cultural elements, such that the translator must struggle between two mentalities as
did by the writers themselves. “Thick translation,” a term proposed by Kwame A.
Appiah can be a remedy to compensate for the necessary home cultural
repertoire.15
What if the work is to be translated back into its home culture? The thick
translation must be thinner since the “thick” elements are common to the home
readers. So in this reverse process a “thin translation” becomes a necessity. This
phenomenon deserves attention and exploration in translation studies.
In translating a diaspora literary work, intertextuality, no matter whether it is
manifesto or constituent can serve as an ideal “go-between,” linking translation
with diaspora literature.16 Diaspora writers are (sub)conscious to make use of
legends, dramas, architectures, folk stories, literature figures, cultural images and
national classics from their home countries to create diaspora writings, thus
intertextuality is forged. On one hand, translation itself creates intertextuality
between the source and the target text and its readability elaborates on the
relationship among the three factors of intertextuality, translation and diaspora
literature. On the other, the inter textual tension between cultural memory and
cultural integration gives birth to a vast horizon for diaspora literature. 17

15
Munday, J., ed.. The Routledge Companion to Translation Studies. London & New York: Routledge. 2009.
16
Fairclough, N.. Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge: Polity Press. 1992.
17
Moinzadeh, Teymour. “Afghan Diaspora: Relationship with homeland” p-17.
 In fact, translation and diaspora literature resemble each other in terms of
epistemology. “Trans-” in translation implies “crossing over” the border and the
original meaning for “diaspora” is “scattering of the seeds” outside homeland.
Both origins indicate a spatial displacement, moving to the margin but creating a
new center at the same time. Both the works of translation and diaspora literature
form a cultural contact zone, where “peoples geographically and historically
separated come into contact with each other and establish ongoing relations”. 18 The
de-centeredness and in-betweenness of both translation and diaspora literature are
another two features shared between them. Translation can be metaphorically
regarded as a diaspora practice, for the source text/culture/value has to be
transplanted and survive in a foreign soil; while diaspora literature can be
metaphorically treated as a practice of cultural translation. With these two
metaphorical notions in mind, it is safe to say that translation is diaspora and
diaspora literature is translational.
Situated in a postcolonial and globalized world, we develop, day by day, a
sense of connectedness between past and present, self and other, tradition and
modernity, independence and integration. The traditional binary thinking is bound
to be replaced by a mode of continuum. Cultural diversity and social diversity are
gaining increasing significance. With such a background, translation and diaspora
literature, intertwined and enlightened, would surely take root in the garden of
world literature, enhancing mutual respect and understanding among various
cultures.
A simple definition of diaspora literature, then, would be works that are
written by authors who live outside their native land. The term identifies a work's
distinctive geographic origins. But diaspora literature may also be defined by its
contents, regardless of where it was written. The chief characteristic features of the
diaspora writings are the quest for identity, uprooting and re-rooting, insider and
outsider syndrome, nostalgia, nagging sense of guilt etc. The diaspora writers turn
to their homeland for various reasons.19
18
Pratt, M. L..Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation. London & New York: Routledge. 2008.
19
Khosravi S (2018) A fragmented diaspora: Iranians in Sweden. Nordic Journal of Migration Research 8(2): 73.81.
 A simple definition of diaspora literature, then, would be works that are
written by authors who live outside their native land. The term identifies a work’s
distinctive geographic origins. But diaspora literature may also be defined by its
contents, regardless of where it was written.20
Now, we can't discuss only the historic diasporas, such as the Jewish and
African populations. But in recent years, there have been numerous diaspora
communities from different parts of the world, primarily from China, the Ukraine,
India, Mexico, Bangladesh, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turks, and now Afghanistan. The
terms deal with many connotations like diaspora, emigration, nationality,
ethnicity, marginality, hybridity etc. Diaspora literature divided into 3
subdivisions; 1.Refugee literature
2. Immigrant literature,
3. Expatriate literature.
An expatriate focuses on the native country that has been left behind.
The expatriate dwells on the “Ex status of the past, while the immigrant celebrates
his presents in the new country, Expatriate sensibility is a widespread
phenomenon in this century and George Steiner describes the expatriate
writer as “the contemporary everyman”.21
Refugees, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees, are people who are “fleeing armed conflict or persecution” and “for
22
whom denial of asylum has potentially deadly consequences”. Refugees leave
their home countries because it is dangerous for them to stay. Turning refugees
away could mean sentencing them to death. They often arrive without their
personal belongings, sometimes without preplanning. In recent times, there is a rise
of diaspora writer who is also enriching the American literature by sharing their
immigrant experiences. Though there are many such writers I am focusing on
Mohja Kafh, Khaled Hosseini, Asra Nomani and Samima Ali.23
20
Kouser, Fatima. “Afghan Diaspora and Post conflict state building in Afghanistan. Aug 21, 2014.
21
Steiner, William. “Extra Territorial: Papers on Language and literature, London:
Faber and Faber, 1968. pp-10-11.
22
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
23
Edward, Janette, “The Case of Khaled Hosseini‟s The Kite Runner.” Expatriate Literature and the Problem
of Contested Representation.
 Now many people, for expressing their feelings, experiences and problems
have taken the help of Literature. Since literature is the only medium of the
expression of a person's experiences, diaspora literature has been abundant in the
past few years, who want to share their views and experiences with other people of
the world. As Paul Brians speak: “The diasporic authors engage in the cultural
transmission that is equitably exchanged in the manner of translating a map of
reality for multiple readerships. Moreover, they are equipped with bundles of
memories and articulate an amalgam of global and national strands that embody
24
the real and imagined experience". In this way diaspora literature is a major part
of contemporary literature because of the global understanding it imparts to the
readers. Sometimes it also helps in depicting the genuine problems of any country.
It is 'imagined experience' but the fundamental of this image is rooted in reality.
Mohja Kahf is a Syrian born Arab-American poet and author and currently
working as an Associate Professor of comparative literature in King Fahad Centre
for the Middle East and Islamic Studies at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
She has earned a PhD in comparative literature from Rutgers University, USA. She
is the author of Western Representations of the Muslim Woman: From Termagant
to Odalisque E-mails from Scheherazade and The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf. Her
book, Western Representations of the Muslim Woman: From Termagant to
Odalisque is highly praised by scholars all around the world. As Farzaneh Milani,
Professor of University of Virginia says:
“An insightful and provocative book. With an impressive knowledge of
European literature from the medieval period to the mod-nineteenth a century and
in command of literary and feminist criticisms as well as Islamic history, Mohja
Kahf unearths and revives conveniently forgotten images of Muslim women. This
fascinating genealogy relegated to oblivion, pushed in the footnotes, forced into
invisibility reveals the evolving images of Muslim women in the West”25

24
Paul Brians Diaspora knowledge Vanishing doubts increasing evidence London 2011 p 41
25
Virginia ,M. (1997) `Diaspora and the detours of identity’, in Woodward, K. (ed.) Identity and Difference.
London: Sage, 29- 343.
Studying diaspora literature entails focusing on the ways in which the original
country, land, or nation continues to exert influence over people who have
migrated to other locations. Afghanistan has become a hotbed for wars between
superpowers or colonizers as a result of ongoing foreign invasions and internal
conflicts between warlords. The infrastructure, economy, and culture of
Afghanistan were severely damaged by these wars, which also resulted in the mass
murder of innocent Afghans and the rape and destruction of their rich cultural
heritage. Afghans began migrating in order to escape the ongoing war as a result of
these intolerable conditions. The Afghan society collapsed and became unstable
over the ensuing decades due to war. The number of refugees registered
worldwide, including in Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, and America, in search of
safety and economic opportunities, has increased as a result of the invasion of
foreign troops and armed militias. Diasporic communities were founded by
Afghans who struggled greatly to find safety outside of their native country.
Afghans in exile use their writing to describe what it's like to be an outsider. In
their writings, they express their yearning for their native land, life in exile, and
their quest for better opportunities. Afghans have produced diaspora literature or
expatriate writing emerged as a result of Afghans being uprooted. Being displaced
is not a recent condition. Despite the fact that human migration has a long history,
the issue only started to become politicized and global in the twentieth century.
The migration could be due to political turmoil, civil strife, ethnic conflict,
cultural clash, domestic violence, environmental degradation, draught, and
economic crisis. By chance and by choice man moves away from home and is
displaced. There are two types of displacements voluntary and involuntary or
forced migration. Voluntary migration means movement according to personal
desires. Involuntary migration means in which a person or community is forced to
leave one’s home, irrespective of their choice.26
Before discussing the term "Afghan American," it is important to
understand the terminology of Afghan. After uniting the region that would become
26
Braakman, Marije. “Roots and Roots: Question of Home, Belonging and Return in an Afghan Diaspora, M.A
Thesis, Aug. 2006.p-139
modern-day Afghanistan in 1747, Ahmad Shah Durrani coined the name Afghan.
Ariana, Bakhtar, and Khorasan are some of the earliest names for Afghanistan.
Afghans, also known as Pashtuns, who live in the country's southern and
northeastern regions, were largely responsible for building Afghanistan. 27 The
name Afghan, which translates to "people who cause suffering," became the name
of the country where the Afghan people live; this is what the istan means “land.
Afghan was used to denote Pashtun in Afghanistan up until the 1970s. Other ethnic
groups included the Farsiwan, or Persian-speaking, Tajiks (from the northeast),
Uzbeks (from the north), Turkmen (from the north), Kazaks (from the north), and
Hazara (from the center). King Amanullah who was known for "modernizing,"
started the effort to use the term "Afghan" to refer to all ethnic groups. He even
went so far as to print the four different languages on the four corners of his
currency. King Mohammad Zahir continued this later and attempted to unite the
nation under the Afghan flag. The term "Afghan" to mean all Afghans did not fully
permeate into the cultural society until after the 1979 Soviet invasion and later in
the exile community. This was before the era of television or a national railroad
system that could unite the ethnically diverse people living in the extreme high and
low terrains of Afghanistan, which easily allowed for isolation. The phrase
"Afghan" was first used to refer to all ethnic groups, their shared culture, and their
shared trauma as war survivors. The phrase "Afghan American" was coined after
September 11, 2001. Afghans, an American ethnic group, did not start referring to
themselves as Afghan Americans until the aftermath of 9/11 made it necessary for
this community to express its views and provide support and knowledge regarding
the situation in Afghanistan. Given this historical context, it is evident that Afghan
American cultural production is a relatively recent idea that is still trying to find its
place in the discourse of multicultural America as well as within the context of
Afghanistan. In their fiction and prose, Afghan American writers address issues of
ethnic and linguistic unity within their own community as well as current politics.
Khaled is one of the Afghan Americans worth mentioning.
27
Edward, Janette, “The Case of Khaled Hosseini‟s The Kite Runner.” Expatriate Literature and the Problem
of Contested Representation.
Farooka Gauhari, Mir Tamim Ansary, and Hosseini. The chief characteristic
features of the diasporic writings are the quest for identity, uprooting and re-
rooting, insider and outsider syndrome, nostalgia, nagging sense of guilt etc.
The diasporic writers turn to their homeland for various reasons. For example.
Naipaul who is in a perpetual quest for his roots turns to India for the same. The
writers of the Indian diaspora, through their literary contributions have greatly
enriched the English literature. They have been aiming at re-
inventing India through the rhythms of ancient legends, the cadences of
mythology, the complexities of another civilization, cultural assimilation and
nostalgia.
This literature works as a channel to strength the bonds between the different
states of India and of India in relation with the other countries at
large. Diaspora opinion helps to break through the past alienation and isolation
which caused much injustice and abuse of human rights.
In contemporary times, scholars have classified the different kinds of diasporas
based on their causes, such as colonialism, trade/labor migrations, or the social
coherence which exists within the diaspora communities and their ties to the
ancestral lands. Some diaspora communities maintain strong cultural and political
ties to their homelands. Other qualities that may be typical of many diasporas are
thoughts of return to the ancestral lands, maintaining any form of ties with the
region of origin as well as relationships with other communities in the diaspora,
and lack of full integration into the new host countries. Diasporas often maintain
ties to the country of their historical affiliation and usually influence their current
host country's policies towards their homeland.

2.1 MARYAM QUDRAT ASSEL

Like other national literatures, American literature was shaped by the
history of the country that produced it.
 For almost a century and a half, America was merely a group of colonies
scattered along the eastern seaboard of the North American continent—colonies
from which a few hardy souls tentatively ventured westward. After a successful
rebellion against the motherland, America became the United States, a nation. By
the end of the 19th century this nation extended southward to the Gulf of Mexico,
northward to the 49th parallel, and westward to the Pacific. By the end of the 19th
century, too, it had taken its place among the powers of the world—its fortunes so
interrelated with those of other nations that inevitably it became involved in two
world wars and, following these conflicts, with the problems of Europe and East
Asia. Meanwhile, the rise of science and industry, as well as changes in ways of
thinking and feeling, wrought many modifications in people’s lives. All these
factors in the development of the United States molded the literature of the
country.
For a description of the oral and written literatures of the indigenous peoples of
the Americas, especially, Native American literature. Though the contributions of
African Americans to American literature are discussed in this article, see African
American literature for in-depth treatment. For information about literary traditions
related to, and at times overlapping with, American literature in English, relatively
English literature and Canadian literature: Canadian literature in English.
This history of American literature begins with the arrival of English-
speaking Europeans in what would become the United States. At first American
literature was naturally a colonial literature, by authors who were Englishmen and
who thought and wrote as such. John Smith, a soldier of fortune, is credited with
initiating American literature. His chief books included “A True Relation of…
Virginia and “The General History of Virginia”, “New England, and the Summer
Isles”. Although these volumes often glorified their author, they were avowedly
written to explain colonizing opportunities to Englishmen. In time, each colony
was similarly described: Daniel Denton’s “Brief Description of New
York” (1670), William Penn’s “Brief Account of the Province of Pennsylvania”
and Thomas Ashe’s “Carolina “were only a few of many works praising America
as a land of economic promise.
In America in the early years of the 18th century, some writers, such
as Cotton Mather, carried on the older traditions. His huge history
and biography of Puritan New England, Magnalia Christi Americana, in 1702, and
his vigorous Manuductio ad Ministerium, or introduction to the ministry, in 1726,
were defenses of ancient Puritan convictions. Jonathan Edwards, initiator of
the Great Awakening, a religious revival that stirred the eastern seacoast for many
years, eloquently defended his burning belief in Calvinistic doctrine—of the
concept that man, born totally depraved, could attain virtue and salvation only
through God’s grace—in his powerful sermons and most notably in the
philosophical treatise Freedom of Will. He supported his claims by relating them to
a complex metaphysical system and by reasoning brilliantly in clear and often
beautiful prose.
William Hill Brown wrote the first American novel, “The Power of
Sympathy” which showed authors how to overcome ancient prejudices against this
form by following the sentimental novel form invented by Samuel Richardson. A
flood of sentimental novels followed to the end of the 19th century.
Hugh Henry Brackenridge succeeded Cervantes’s Don Quixote and Henry
Fielding with some popular success in Modern Chivalry (1792–1815), an
amusing satire on democracy and an interesting portrayal of frontier life. Gothic
thrillers were to some extent nationalized in Charles Brockden
Brown’s Wieland (1798), Arthur Mervyn (1799–1800), and Edgar Huntly (1799).
After the American Revolution, and increasingly after the War of 1812,
American writers were exhorted to produce a literature that was truly native. As if
in response, four authors of very respectable stature appeared. William Cullen
Bryant, Washington Irving, James Fennimore Cooper, and Edgar Allan Poe
initiated a great half century of literary development.
The anguish of the AIDS epidemic proved a dark inspiration to many gay
playwrights, especially Tony Kushner, who had gained attention with A Bright
Room Called Day (1991), set in Germany in 1932–33; he won Broadway fame
with his epically ambitious two-part drama Angels in America (1991–92), which
combined comedy with pain, symbolism with personal history, and invented
characters with historical ones. A committed political writer, Kushner often
focused on public themes. His later plays included Slavs! (1996) and the
timely Homebody/Kabul (2001), a brilliant monologue followed by a drama set in
Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. After writing several Off-Broadway plays about
Chinese Americans, David Henry Hwang achieved critical and commercial success
on Broadway with his gender-bending drama M. Butterfly (1988). Richard Nelson
found an enthusiastic following in London for literate plays such as Some
Americans Abroad (1989) and Two Shakespearean Actors (1990), while Richard
Greenberg depicted Jewish American life and both gay and straight relationships
in Eastern Standard (1989), The American Plan (1990), and Take Me Out (2002),
the last about a gay baseball player who reveals his homosexuality to his
teammates. Donald Margulies dealt more directly with Jewish family life in The
Loman Family Picnic (1989). He also explored the ambitions and relationships of
artists in such plays as Sight Unseen (1992) and Collected Stories (1998).
The 1990s also saw the emergence of several talented women playwrights. Paula
Vogel repeatedly focused on hot-button moral issues with humor and compassion,
dealing with prostitution in The Oldest Profession (1981), AIDS in The Baltimore
Waltz (1992), pornography in Hot ’n’ Throbbing (1994), and the sexual abuse of
minors in How I Learned to Drive (1997).
A young African American playwright, Suzan-Lori Parks, gained increasing
recognition with her surreal pageant.
The America Play (1993), an adaptation of The Scarlet Letter called In the
Blood (1999), and Topdog/Underdog (2001), a partly symbolic tale of conflict
between two brothers (named Lincoln and Booth) that reminded critics of Sam
Shepard’s fratricidal True West. She later adapted George and Ira
Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess in 2012, and her Father Comes Home from the Wars
(Parts 1, 2 & 3), produced in 2014, placed Homer’s Odyssey in the context of
the American Civil War. Other well-received works included Heather
McDonald’s An Almost Holy Picture (1995), a one-man play about the spiritual
life of a preacher; poet Naomi Wallace’s One Flea Spare (1995), set in London
during the Great Plague of 1665; and Margaret Edson’s Wit (1995), about the
slow, poignant cancer death of a literary scholar whose life has been shaped by the
eloquence and wit of Metaphysical poetry.

Aseel, a first-generation Afghan American woman, is an activist in the

Muslim community in general and the Afghani community in particular. Woven
around her commentary on current events is the fascinating story of her life,
including a childhood that balanced both modernity and tradition. Throughout the
sometimes repetitious but always engaging narrative, Aseel manages to clear up
numerous misconceptions about her culture and religion. For instance, during her
mother's college days, women were neither pressured to marry nor forced to adhere
to a dress code, at least in Kabul. Islamic diversity throughout the world is
discussed, and Aseel even offers an insider's look at the prejudices Muslims hold
against each other. Exceptionally useful are her reflections on what it has meant to
be a Muslim in America after September 11 and how the fact that she was born in
the U.S. has meant little in the face of harassment. As the world situation evolves,
readers will have many questions. Aseel has some of the answers.
"Through her book, Maryam Qudrat Aseel hopes to open a dialogue and
provide some glimpses into an often misunderstood and enigmatic culture and
religion. What her book offers is one woman’s perspective on those events
[Afghanistan’s history], how they shaped Afghans both in Afghanistan and in
exile, and how hearing their plight might shed some understanding on that obscure
land and its people. Maryam’s book also offers an as yet undisclosed glimpse into
the lives, struggles, and social norms of the Afghan diaspora. But Maryam is a
woman, of course, and in many ways this is a book about the peculiar challenges
of being an Afghan Muslim woman living in a western society. Immersed in a
culture with vastly different sensibilities than her own culture, she must
nevertheless find ways to straddle the two sides of her identity.
For anyone with even a casual interest in Afghans, east vs. west issues, and
Islam, Maryam Qudrat Aseel, hyphenated woman, offers some valuable lessons."
"Aseel, a first-generation Afghan American, discusses current events–particularly
those relating to Afghanistan–and what it means to be a Muslim in America after
9/11. She combines analysis with unique personal stories describing how her
family balances ‘two value systems that have grown to signify polar extremes,
those of the East and West.
"In 'Torn Between Two Cultures,' she weaves her family's and her own personal
stories into recent American and Afghan politics and history....Ms. Aseel touches
upon almost all aspects of Afghan-American life moving from her own
experiences to her family, friends, and even strangers. She frankly discusses the
important issues of religion and culture. In so doing, Ms. Aseel paints a vivid
picture of the experiences that have shaped her multicultural identity. Her struggle
with her identity leads her to advocate efforts towards a better understanding
between what is roughly understood as the East and the West.
'In Torn Between Two Cultures’ is a paradigm for the larger problem of the
growing gap of understanding between the Islamic world and the West."
Embassy Magazin. Maryam Qudrat Aseel is an Afghan-American woman born
in the U.S. to first generation Afghan immigrants. In ‘Torn Between Two Cultures’
she weaves her family’s and her own personal stories into recent American and
Afghan politics and history. Her book describes her upbringing in America as a
woman in a modern Afghan family with traditional values. She explores how those
values and her own desire to be "American" came into conflict and led to an
identity crisis that was only resolved as she rediscovered her religious and cultural
roots, became increasingly active in the Afghan and Muslim communities, and
resolved to bridge the gap between her two cultures. As an Afghan-American
woman, Maryam offers a unique perspective on East and West conflicts, and in
this book and in her life she is working to bring about understanding and
resolution. ‘Torn Between Two Cultures’ is a paradigm for the larger problem of
the growing gap of understanding between the Islamic world and the West.
Maryam Qudrat Aseel is a living dichotomy. Afghan in heritage, American in
birth, the USC Ph.D. candidate has spent almost 30 years working to reconcile her
disparate identities. She details that struggle in “Torn Between Two Cultures,” an
autobiography focusing on East-West conflicts that Booklist called “a fascinating
multicultural coming-of-age story.” .As Qudrat pointed out "I am an Afghan-
America woman, born in Los Angeles in 1974 to Afghan who immigrated before all
hell broke loose in their homeland".28 Aseel got in touch with her heritage in the
1980s when relatives poured out of Soviet-occupied Afghanistan to begin new
lives in the U.S. Reflecting on stories from her extended family, Aseel writes,
“These tales of a distant land began to touch a familiar place in my mind.”29
Aseel’s quest for her identity led to an embracement of the Islamic faith, and
in high school she wore a hijab (the traditional Muslim scarf that covers the head,
neck and throat), despite a tremendous backlash from classmates and some
members of the Afghan community. Persevering, she went on to found the first
high school chapter of the Muslim Students Association.
Aseel is now an Afghan activist, working to convey historically accurate
understandings of Afghanistan and of Islam to people of both Eastern and Western
heritage. She hosts “Bridge to the Future,” a radio talk show on an Afghan radio
station and recently founded the Afghan Institute for Development, which aims to
reach out to Afghans while promoting tolerance and understanding among Afghan
youths. In September, she spoke about her book and its themes as part of the “Life
Stories” forum sponsored by the USC Office of Religious Life.
Such efforts, she believes, are vital to the future of East-West relations.
According to Connie Martinson he described "Maryam Qudrat Aseel's book
stands out from all of the other books on Afghanistan and the ideological war we
are seemingly faced with. She simultaneously explores her experiences of being a
28
Maryam Qudrat Aseel Torn Between Two Cultures: An Afghan-American Woman Speaks Out Capital Books;
First Edition (May 1, 2003) p 4
29
Maryam Qudrat Aseel Torn Between Two Cultures: An Afghan-American Woman Speaks Out Capital Books;
First Edition (May 1, 2003) p 18
Muslim, an Afghan, and an Afghan-American woman against the backdrop of
current world affairs. Maryam offers intriguing observations that we haven't heard
before. She doesn't flinch from complexity and she makes her points concrete with
compelling examples from her unique experiences and the Muslim world."30
From the Amy Zalman’s point of view:
"Aseel, a first-generation Afghan American woman, is an activist in the
Muslim community in general and the Afghani community in parti, Through her
book, Maryam Qudrat Aseel hopes to open a dialogue and provide some glimpses
into an often misunderstood and enigmatic culture and religion. What her book
offers is one woman’s perspective on those events, how they shaped Afghans both
in Afghanistan and in exile, and how hearing their plight might shed some
understanding on that obscure land and its people. Maryam’s book also offers an
as yet undisclosed glimpse into the lives, struggles, and social norms of the Afghan
diaspora. But Maryam is a woman, of course, and in many ways this is a book
about the peculiar challenges of being an Afghan Muslim woman living in a
western society. Immersed in a culture with vastly different sensibilities than her
own culture, she must nevertheless find ways to straddle the two sides of her
identity. For anyone with even a casual interest in Afghans, east vs. west issues,
and Islam, Maryam Qudrat Aseel, hyphenated woman, offers some valuable
lessons.31
Aseel writes about the challenges of navigating multiple cultural identities
and the feelings of being torn between two worlds. She describes feeling like an
outsider in both cultures and struggling to find a sense of belonging.
Qudrat rich history was introduced at childhood modeled her integrity. Afghan
Islamic traditions, Quran's studies, wedding traditional practices, and ceremonies,
have enriched Qudrat intellectually and morally. She explained Afghan tradition
and customs in a detailed way like she pointed about marriage issues “If a man
approached a woman’s family to make a marriage proposal and did not have a
degree, he stood almost no chance of being accepted.
30
Connie Martinson Talks Books" column, December 12, 2003 p 45
31
Amy Zalman The Women's Review of Books
Traditionally men were breadwinners and women were the caretakers.32” On the
other hand, the constant stereotyping of the Islamic cultural tradition has given her
a difficult life, not only in Afghanistan, but also in America. Family values are
another important factor in navigating the experience of being torn between two
cultures. Family traditions and values can shape an individual's identity and
provide a sense of belonging and connection. Aseel highlights the importance of
finding ways to honor family traditions while also adapting to the values of the
dominant culture. She speaks about teenager who suffered from double life;
“Expecting children to lead a wholly Afghan lifestyle at home while they are trying
to lead a normal and socialized American lifestyle outside has led to identity crisis,
double life syndromes, and various other personality complexes even suicides. On
a cable Television program called “Teen Talk” where I used to appear, Afghan
teens talked about these very problems.”33 She emphasized the role second
generation Afghan youth in Western culture and how it is difficult to adapt to a
new environment.
By doing so, individuals can maintain a sense of connection to their family and
cultural roots while also adapting to the values of the dominant culture.
Maryam Qudrat Aseel's book "Torn between Two Cultures" highlights the
challenges faced by individuals who come from multicultural backgrounds and the
importance of culture, history, religion, and family values in navigating this
complex experience. By understanding and appreciating the unique aspects of both
cultures, acknowledging and processing emotions related to historical events,
finding ways to integrate religious beliefs into one's identity, and honoring family
traditions while also adapting to the values of the dominant culture, individuals can
reconcile conflicting values and beliefs and find a sense of balance and harmony
between their cultural identities. Maryam Qudrat Aseel very proud of her nation
and she says this strong statement to encourage Afghan people all around the
world.
32
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Va. :
Capital Books p 4
33
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Va. :
Capital Books p 43
 “The bulk of Afghan population has been scattered about the globe
involuntarily uprooted from it is original environment and planted nations that do
not resemble Afghanistan. These Afghan’s identities have been challenged and
fractured. They struggle violently to survive and preserve themselves in lands that
they never would have known but for the historical accident that transformed the
bright country of Afghanistan into a land of darkness”34
Ultimately, the experience of being torn between two cultures can be a
journey of self-discovery and growth, leading to a richer and more nuanced
understanding of one's identity.
Maryam Qudrat Aseel shows a great deal of interest in the topic of identity
crisis and they use their works to illustrate the importance of family values and
belonging to their roots and a prevention of the misunderstanding of Afghan
culture by Western cultures.
Maryam Qudrat Aseel is a representative of diaspora literature as she is
Afghan American writer. In this research paper we will throw a closer look at
diaspora literature, in particular Afghan American diaspora literature. For this
purpose, our intended literature is “Torn Between two cultures” written by
Maryam Qudrat Aseel. Wide range of themes are raised in the novel Maryam’s
book also offers an as yet undisclosed glimpse into the lives, struggles, and social
norms of the Afghan diaspora. This paper focuses on understanding the
relationship between religious belief systems, identity, and migration through
lived-experiences in new social worlds.
Maryam Qudrat Aseel in her book “Torn between two cultures “claims
“For most of my life I believed that not being able to fully socialize into either
community was a horrible fate that left me with an alien identity and made me
member of nowhere I did not think about a possibility that it might make me a
member of both cultures” 35.

34
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Va. :
Capital Books p 44
35
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Va. :
Capital Books p 174
Maryam Qudrat Aseel an Afghan-American woman born in the U.S. to first
generation Afghan immigrants. The clash between two cultures led a young
Maryam through an identity crisis that was resolved only as she rediscovered her
religious and cultural roots, became increasingly active in the Afghan and Muslim
communities, and resolved to bridge the gap between her two dueling cultures. The
resolution she has achieved in her own life serves as a paradigm to the larger issue
of East-West relations and our future together. In Torn Between Two Cultures she
weaves her family’s and her own personal stories into recent American and Afghan
politics and history. Qudrat describes the insecurity and the civil war accounts in
detail when she was visiting her extended family member in Afghanistan at her
only 4 years old. Coincidently, Qudrat's parent, along with her, went to
Afghanistan, days before the civil was stroke.
"In 1978, Afghan communist backed by the Soviet Union assassinated Daoud.
Noor Taraki become president. Five months later, Taraki is assassinated and
Hafizllah Amin assumes power".36
Qudrat recalled those days by saying, "The nights were even scarier, as the sounds
of attacks and the showering of bombs shook the entire house" 37. Those days,
intended for a trip of leisure, turned out to be days of frustrations.
Through her book, Maryam Qudrat Aseel hopes to open a dialogue and provide
some glimpses into an often misunderstood and enigmatic culture and religion.
What her book offers is one woman’s perspective on those events how they shaped
Afghans both in Afghanistan and in exile, and how hearing their plight might shed
some understanding on that obscure land and its people. Maryam’s book also
offers an as yet undisclosed glimpse into the lives, struggles, and social norms of
the Afghan diaspora. But Maryam is a woman, of course, and in many ways this is
a book about the peculiar challenges of being an Afghan Muslim woman living in
a western society. She highlights the rules of Afghan muslim women says that
”Afghan girls are supposed to dress conservatively, be polite and above all
36
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Va. :
Capital Books p 12
37
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Va. :
Capital Books p 23
maintain their innocence. What is meant by innocence? According to Afghan
tradition a girl must maintain her verbal, emotional and physical innocence. She
must refrain from speech that reveals that she has been exposed to undesirable
situations. She is to keep her mind off boys, sex, drugs and alcohol and focus on
her education and family.”38 Immersed in a culture with vastly different
sensibilities than her own culture, she must nevertheless find ways to straddle the
two sides of her identity. For anyone with even a casual interest in Afghans, east
vs. west issues, and Islam, Maryam Qudrat Aseel, hyphenated woman, offers some
valuable lessons. Torn between two cultures by Maryam Qudrat tell the story of
her cultural background in Afghanistan including the aspirations, dynamic life,
ideologies, and professional development of her and her family. In her book Torn
Between Two Cultures, Maryam Qudrat Aseel says, “It was through the
experience of living and being raised in the United States that I came to truly
39
appreciate and understand my own religion, heritage, culture, and language.”
Aseel herself is main character and story teller in this book. Its fully
autobiographical novel, Qudrat also described not only a history of violence,
assassination, coup, international and civil wars in Afghanistan, but also a growing
uncertainty among Afghans and American-Afghan living in the United States since
September 11, 2000. As Qudrat pointed out.
"I am an Afghan-America woman, born in Los Angeles in 1974 to Afghan
who immigrated before all hell broke loose in their homeland". 40
The whole idea to immigrate to America, as every other ethnic group could
experience, is to look forward for a better future in one of the most powerful
country in the word. Another important aspect to be recognized in her story is
Qudrat's cultural traditions. As an Afghan-America woman, she was raised with
less restricted Muslim customs. Qudrat could decide how to manage her life,

38
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Va. :
Capital Books p 71
39
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Va. :
Capital Books p 46
40
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Va. :
Capital Books p 3
whom to marry to, etc. However her father expected Qudrat to wear loose clothing
that disguises her female body shape.
"He expected me to in a very conservative fashion, wearing dark, formal colors,
41
and clothing that was very boyish with no-style what so ever". her first
successfully experience reading the Quran at her short age was the
reflection of an intensive effort of Qudrat's grandmother and her parents she
explained; “I took my first trip to the mosque when I was ten years old. My father
wanted me to take classes there on reading Quran. It was the first time my dad
ever told me to cover my hair, and my mom gave me her scarves. They told me not
to wear my shorts but to dress in pants or skirts..42
The writer and the novel itself belong to the diaspora literature. More
specifically its clear example of diaspora literature, she gave in describing the
circumstances of both the Afghans in Afghanistan and the Afghan-American
community in the United States. She was able to emphasize in a way that was easy
for me to understand the conditions, lifestyle and the difficulties that are facing the
Afghan-American community. She described herself;
“I realize my own struggle to find myself in between cultural identities is natural to
ant assimilation process that pioneering generation face, regardless of the country
they migrate from. I have since able to place my experiences in perspective and
alleviate much of confusion I faces in marrying my Afghan and my American
self”.43
Maryam Qudrat Assel is an Afghan-American woman who was born in
the United States to first- generation afghan immigrants. She is an activist in the
Muslim community in general and the Afghani community in particular. In
addition to being an author, she is also a higher education professional and adviser
with more than ten years of experience in the fields of higher education,
international development, and community engagement.
41
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Capital
Books p 13
42
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Capital
Books p 141
43
Aseel, Maryam Qudrat, Torn between two cultures : an Afghan-American woman speaks out Sterling, Capital
Books p 88
 Maryam Qudrat Assel has several notable achievements, including:
Authoring the book ”Torn Between Two Cultures” An Afghan- American Woman
Speaks Out, which explores her family’s experiences as Afghan immigrants in the
United States and the challenges of navigating two cultures.44
Being an activist in the Muslim community in general and Afghani community
in particular. Her activism is related to current events, particularly those relating to
Afghanistan, and what it means to be a Muslim in America. Her book “Torn
Between Two cultures” An Afghan –American Woman Speaks Out “she discuses
almost all aspects of Afghan –American life, including religion and culture. She
weaves her family’s and her own personal stories into recent American Afghan
politics and history. Through her activism and writing, she aims to shed light on
the challenges of navigating two cultures and to promote understanding and
acceptance between different communities. Her book describes her upbringing in
American as a woman in a modern Afghan family with traditional values. She
explores how those values and her own desire to be “American” came into conflict
and led to an identity crisis that only resolved as she rediscovered her religious and
cultural roots, became increasingly active in the Afghan and Muslim communities,
and resolved to bridge the gap between her two cultures. As an Afghan-American
woman, Maryam offers a unique perspective on East and West conflicts, and in
this book and in her life she is working to bring about understanding and
resolution. In Addition to these facts it is say this, “Torn Between Two Cultures” is
a paradigm for the larger problem of the growing gap of understanding between the
Islamic world and the West.
Maryam Qudrat Assel has faced several challenges as an activist, including:
Navigating the complexities of being an Afghan- American woman and promoting
understanding and acceptance between different communities. Dealing with
negative stereotypes and misconceptions about Muslims. Balancing her activism
with her professional and personal responsibilities.

44
Moinzadeh, Teymour. “Afghan Diaspora: Relationship with homeland” p-17.
 Overcoming the challenges of being a first- generation immigrant and
navigating two cultures. Facing criticism from that who disagree with her views or
activism. Despite these challenges, Maryam Qudrat Aseel has continued to be an
advocate for the Muslim and Afghani communities and to promote understanding
and acceptance between two cultures.
Maryam Qudrat Aseel’s activism has had profound impact on her
personal life, shaping her identity and leading her to become a spokesperson and
advocate for the afghan –American and Muslim communities.
We also pride ourselves on a capacious and flexible understanding of modern and
contemporary culture. For us, the 20th and 21st centuries are incomplete without
the rigorous study of a host of forms, genres and media, including comics, graphic
narratives, film, activist writing, zines, performance and new media.