On the Edge of Being
An Afghan Woman's Journey
by Sharifa Sharif
Painful and shocking, but often hopeful, the stories in On the Edge of Being illustrate the devastating impact of the split between body and voice that Afghan women are forced to navigate. The daughter of a progressive Afghan governor, Dr. Sharifa Sharif observed from an early age that life for women - both within and beyond the walls of her home - was neither simple, nor fair. As she navigates the rocky terrain of what it means to be a woman in Afghan society, Sharif candidly connects her own troubling experiences with those of girls and women around her: those who appeal to her father for justice, those who work as servants in her friends' homes and, crucially, her own mother, whose inability to alter the restrictions in her own life causes both anger and empathy. From her childhood travelling through the poorest provinces in Afghanistan to life as a schoolteacher, an immigrant student in North America and beyond, Dr. Sharif struggles to define her identity through experiences of marginality, on the journey to reclaim her body and self.
close this panelDr. Sharifa Sharif was born and raised in Afghanistan, where she and her family lived in many urban and rural areas. Dr. Sharif studied Pashto literature in Kabul and later, comparative literature in the United States, where she became immersed in learning about feminism, justice and freedom. Since then she has become a dual Afghan-Canadian citizen and has worked as a teacher, counsellor for abused women, cultural advisor, radio host, and politician. Now living near Toronto, Dr. Sharif works as a journalist and community activist.
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