Modern Afghanistan The Impact of 40 Years of War [Hardcover]

What impact does 40 years of war, violence, and military intervention have on a country and its people?Modern Afghanistanis a collection of the work of interdisciplinary scholars, aid workers, and citizens to assess the impact of this prolonged conflict on Afghanistan. Nearly all of the people in Afghan society have been affected by persistent violent conflict. Issues considered in this volume include social and political dynamics, issues of gender, and the shifting relationships between tribal, sectarian, and regional communities. Contributors consider topics ranging from masculinity among the Afghan Pashtun to services offered for the disabled, and from Taliban extremism to the role of TV in the Afghan culture wars. Prioritizing the perspective and experiences of the people of Afghanistan, the contributors offer new insights into the lives of those who are hoping to build a secure future on the rubble of a violent past.

M. Nazif Shahrani is Professor of Anthropology, Central Eurasian Studies, and Near Eastern Languages and Culture at Indiana University. He is author ofThe Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan: Adaptation to Closed Frontiers and Warand editor (with Robert L. Canfield) ofRevolutions and Rebellions in Afghanistan: Anthropological Perspectives.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Impact of Four Decades of War and Violence on Afghan Society and Political Culture / M. Nazif Shahrani

Part I: Technologies of Power--Competing Discourses on National Identity, Statehood and State Stability
1. Afghanistan: A Turbulent State in Transition / Amin Saikal
2. Afghanistans Traditional Islam in Transition: Deep Roots of the Taliban Extremism / Bashir Ahmad Ansari
3. Language, Poetry and Identity in Afghal+