Cultural conceptualization of

Shahab, Zakkie

doi:10.22034/pmlj.2026.14899.1081

Cultural conceptualization of "woman" in two of the contemporary Afghanistans novels("Sang Sabur" and "Naqsh Shekar Ahu") with respect to the cultural linguistics approach

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Zakkie Shahab

Master of Arts in Language and Literature, Faculty of Persian Literature, Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan.

10.22034/pmlj.2026.14899.1081

Abstract

cultural conceptualizations. In the present study, cultural metaphors have been chosen as a research tool, which play a fundamental role in the conceptualization and reconceptualization of the concept of “woman” in the novels “The Patience Stone” and “The Pattern of the Deer Hunting”. The aim of the present research is to examine how the concept of “woman" is conceptualized in Afghan culture over two time periods and also examines the social, cultural, and political factors underlying these conceptualization. The research method was descriptive-analytical, and the data obtained from the research framework were analyzed using the cultural metaphor tool. The novels were purposefully selected in such a way that the narratives of both novels address the life and fate of Afghan women in two time periods (the first Taliban era and post-Taliban). Accordingly, the cultural metaphors related to the concept of women in the novels were identified. In the research findings, it was determined that the cultural metaphors "woman is dependent on man, woman is an tool, woman is an object" serve as the dominant metaphors in both novels, playing a central role in reflecting various events in women's lives. However, in the novel “The Pattern of the Deer Hunting,” new cultural metaphors (the woman is a creator, the woman is a tiger) are depicted, indicating a re-conceptualization of women in the country's culture. These metaphors do not dominate but rather manifest around the prevailing metaphors and beliefs of society.

Keywords

Woman

Cultural Metaphors

The Patience Stone

The Pattern of Deer Hunting

Cultural Linguistics

Afghanistans Contemporary Novel

Subjects