Under the veil of the veil: Media and governmental messaging of Canada’s role in the war in Afghanistan, 2001-2011

Abstract

During Canada’s military engagement in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2011, an overarching and persistent narrative of a Canadian salvation of Afghan women from the repression of the Taliban shaped the public understanding of the war. However, this discourse emerged primarily among the federal government and national media for the sake of accruing support for the mission. The experience of the war within Afghanistan was starkly distinct from this rhetoric, especially for Afghan women. This thesis argues that Canada’s role in Afghanistan was adopted into the national consciousness in terms of a gendered narrative that did not accurately reflect the reality of the war, especially after the 2005 decision to move into Kandahar province. As the narrative of the war and the military reality became increasingly irreconcilable, no alternate discourse was able to successfully replace the women-focused rhetoric, forcing the Government of Canada to end the active combat phase of the war as public support waned.