Join us on Wednesday September 25 at 12pm for the first Center for Theory Colloquium of 2024-25 in University Hall 432. Dustin Harp, Associate Professor of Communication, and Jaclyn Kirsch, Assistant Professor of Social Work, will present their research as part of the R.U.G. (Resilience, Unity, Guide) Project. Dr. Harp and Dr. Kirsch will discuss their experience working on the RUG Project. Through interviews with Afghan women refugees we can learn about the shared experiences, memories and trauma of individuals and communities. How do we then take those women’s words, honor their lives and participation, while analyzing, writing, and producing academic research.
About the RUG Project
Project Description
The World After August 2021
The RUG Project proposes to allow the voices and experiences of Afghan women who fled the Taliban regime in or after August 2021 to be preserved.
We will record women’s RESILIENCE in the face of injustice, promote global UNITY, and create a GUIDE for change.
Preserving Muted Voices
The R.U.G. team of activists and scholars established this free, online resource to permanently document Afghan womens’ oral histories and stories who fled the Taliban regime August 2021 and beyond.
Countless women who previously lived under the Taliban’s rule but have since escaped are still dealing with the aftermath of the Taliban regime.
Lack of Accurate Information on Women’s Experiences
However, media organizations and workers in the country are under pressure from the Taliban and are not reporting many issues related to the Taliban’s actions in Afghan society.
The website will spotlight women’s voices and experiences to guide educators, activists, policymakers, and journalists working to advance women’s rights as human rights.
Project Goals
- Build an internationally known digital archive that documents and presents Afghan women’s and girls’ experiences through a permanent living oral history project.
- Establish an online platform that allows Afghan women and girls to share their stories and support each other in their pursuit of gender equity.
- Provide primary source accounts for policy makers, media representatives, advocacy groups, and academics to support Afghan women and combat global gender oppression.
- Produce and disseminate reports and digital content via online and offline venues to raise awareness of Afghan women’s and girls’ stories and to support their pursuit of gender equity.