My positionality & Worldviews

As an international student at UMBC from Afghanistan, my worldview has been shaped through different experiences, cultures, and personal challenges. My perspectives emerge from lived experiences characterized by resilience, perseverance, and unwavering optimism despite adversity.

My journey began as a child immigrant in a neighboring country, where I witnessed firsthand the tensions, violence, and ongoing conflicts affecting my homeland. This early displacement taught me essential coping strategies while navigating the complexities of social distinctions, cultural differences, and discrimination. Returning to Afghanistan at age 14, I encountered a multifaceted environment where geographic location, historical context, and social dynamics profoundly influenced my developing sense of identity. While I came to appreciate the richness of intercultural diversity, I simultaneously experienced painful feelings of exclusion and statelessness due to the persistent internal conflicts and systematic discrimination that particularly affected people of my ethnicity.

Through my experiences, I've developed a deep commitment to religious tolerance. In my country, religious divisions are starkly evident, with ethnicities separated along Shia and Sunni Muslim denominational lines. These divisions create profound separations between people, even restricting marriages between young people of different denominations despite sharing the same religion (Islam). I've witnessed how interfaith relationships are not only socially forbidden but legally prohibited, with government-enforced punishments at the current government of Taliban.. Even more troubling, individuals who wish to change their religion face the risk of severe punishment or death from both community members and governmental authorities.

These observations have cemented my belief that all people deserve respect and freedom of choice, with humanity accepted beyond the boundaries of religion, race, ethnicity, or color. Religious discrimination only perpetuates cycles of conflict and suffering that I've witnessed throughout my life.

The gender disparities in my society have profoundly shaped my commitment to equality. I grew up in a context where boys are typically preferred over girls based on the expectation that sons will become breadwinners who support their families, while daughters join other families after marriage. This preference manifests in unequal opportunities—boys are permitted to pursue education abroad while girls are not; boys receive greater freedom for social engagement and personal development, while girls are primarily confined to household responsibilities with limited external opportunities.

The consequences of these inequities are severe, with higher rates of suicide among women and girls due to domestic violence, restricted freedoms, limited opportunities, and resulting depression. Witnessing these injustices has strengthened my conviction that all people, regardless of gender, deserve equal opportunities and treatment, as we all have the fundamental right to live with dignity.

Education represents the cornerstone of my personal journey and values system. Although recognized globally as a fundamental human right, many girls in my country faced significant barriers to education due to social, cultural, and political factors, as well as armed conflicts and displacement. These challenges only strengthened my determination to complete my education against all odds. I firmly believe that access to education should never be denied to anyone—including refugees and displaced people—regardless of nationality, race, gender, or other factors. My observations of Afghan refugees being denied full educational access in neighboring countries reinforced my conviction that education is a universal right that should be available to everyone, anytime and anywhere.

During my decade of employment with humanitarian organizations, I communicated and engaged with diverse populations across various settings. These experiences provided me with in-depth knowledge of community challenges and approaches to addressing humanitarian needs. Working closely with communities exposed me to the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence—values that now form the core of my professional identity.

Growing up in a society that blended traditional cultural values with the rituals practiced among my ethnicity taught me to balance cultural heritage with adaptation to rapid global changes. The stories of Afghan girls—their struggles, challenges, achievements, and aspirations—have deepened my self-understanding and broadened my worldview. These experiences have instilled in me an appreciation for creativity and imagination, which I recognize as critical elements in both research and humanitarian work.

In conclusion, my positionality is a reflection and representation of my worldviews—an integration of my identity as an Afghan woman, my experiences as a former immigrant child, the resilience I've developed through challenges, the balance I maintain between cultural heritage and global change, and my aspirations for future generations of Afghan girls to contribute to positive community transformation.

I carry forward the values of humanity, respect, dignity, and morality in all aspects of my life and work. I believe in the power of creativity and imagination in addressing complex social challenges, recognizing that research must be approached with both rigor and innovation. Above all, I remain committed to working toward a world where everyone enjoys equal access to fundamental human rights and services without restrictions, limitations, or discrimination—a vision that drives my academic pursuits and personal growth at UMBC and beyond.