Sleeping Lions: an American Perspective on the Formation of the
Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan

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Authors: Alicia D. CRUMPTON and Karen E. NORUM
Published in: Vol:8 No.2 / 2007

      Watching Afghanistan on TV from the comfort of our American living rooms, it is easy to assume that years of oppression have crushed Afghan women�s spirits. Yet upon actually visiting Afghanistan, one may well meet strong women who refuse to wear the burqa, taught in secret during the Taliban�s rule, and are fiercely proud of being Afghan. There is a collective resilience among Afghan women. In exploring a possible genesis of this resilience, we present the birth of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), with particular attention to its martyred founder, Meena. Meena�s transformative leadership style is explored by examining her formation of RAWA and interactions among her followers. RAWA is examined through the lens of Schein�s embedding mechanisms (Schein, 2004, p. 246) to learn how Meena�s vision resulted in such a dynamic, impactful organization still in existence today.