Consider the question of whether afghan traditions are still intact after decades of war. Identification of a specific culture of asia or universal elements among the colossal diversity that has emanated. Afghanistan, often called the crossroads of central asia, has a long history of turbulence. Afghanistan traces the historic struggles and the changing nature of political authority in this volatile region of the world, from the mughal empire in the sixteenth century to the taliban resurgence today. With this slight cultural sampler, simpson, a senior curator for iranian and arabian preislamic artifacts at the british museum the begram hoard, looks past the recent turmoil in afghanistan to explore the rich history of the crossroads of asia. A cultural and political history, i hoped to find that answer and at the same time, that the book wouldnt be too dry or heavy on political rhetoric. Male and female roles are strictly delineated and traditional religious customs are very much adhered to. Mar 27, 20 one of the great pleasures of writing my new book, return of a king. Afghanistan history, language and culture history of afghanistan. William dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan travel. The targeted audience of this book is the american occupation machinery of afghanistan. This fascinating survey of afghanistan is an excellent book for those wanting to go beyond headlines.
It provides an abridged history of afghanistan, from the emergence of civilization to the united states overthrow of the taliban in late 2001. If it werent so painstakingly researched and intensely. The modern nation emerged during the eighteenth century by pashtun tribes in reaction to the decline of the persian and indian empires. Tavarikhi khurshidi jahan literally, histories of the sun of the world is primarily a history of afghan pushtun or pashtun ancestry. Barfield does not give the united states a way out of afghanistan, but he does provide the context necessary for good. Afghanistan traces the historic struggles and the changing nature of political authority in this volatile region of the world, from the. It has long been an ancient focal point of the silk road and human migration. The war in afghanistan should be studied in relation to political culture, political economy and broader national and regional history. Brent glass, director emeritus of the smithsonians national museum of american history, the worlds largest museum devoted to telling the story of america, chooses five standout books in a crowded field. During the nineteenth century, afghanistan struggled.
Deploying diplomats, soldiers, and aid workers in particular should pay. A cultural history, roger luckhurst is published by reaktion books. The arabs introduced islam in the 7th century and the turks briefly made afghanistan the center of islamic power and civilization at the beginning of the 11th century. Doug bandow, washington times a brilliant book to educate all of us about a country we should know and appreciate. The chicago distribution center has reopened and is fulfilling orders. In music and dance, a revival of traditional folksinging has gone hand in hand with the imitation of modern western and indian music. Levi, a professor of poetryarchaeologistjesuit priest, travels with a young bruce chatwin to uncover afghanistans cultural treasures in the late 60s. A cultural and political history thomas barfield princeton university press 2012 pdf, epub. Nov 20, 2011 understanding afghanistans social and cultural diversity has proven little easier than mastering it. Books on afghanistan history and culture rare and out of. A cultural and political history, also has the ambitious goalof being a comprehensive but readable short history of afghanistan, with a heavy focus on the last nine. Best nonfiction war books, around the world one book from each country, best iraq and afghanistan war books, best books on special forces m. Thomas barfield, a professor of anthropology at boston university, seeks to answer the questions of how afghanistans cultural and political history has both united the country and torn it apart on a cyclical basis and how this cycle has repeated under the current us occupation. Afghan music is different from western music in many ways, particularly in its scales, note intervals, pitch, and rhythm, but it is closer to western than to asian music.
The capital of afghanistan is its largest city, kabul. Levi, a professor of poetryarchaeologistjesuit priest, travels with a young bruce chatwin to uncover afghanistan s cultural treasures in the late 60s. Alexanders successors, the seleucids, continued to infuse the region with greek cultural influence. Political history of afghanistan in the 19th century sayed qaseem reshtia afghan jehad works translation centre, 1990 out of print try used books. In 1747, the pashtun, the dominant ethnic group in afghanistan, established their dynasty. History early history the location of afghanistan astride the land routes between the indian subcontinent, iran, and central asia has enticed conquerors throughout history. Its high mountains, although hindering unity, helped the hill tribes to preserve their independence. Culture of afghanistan history, people, clothing, women. Afghanistan has been at the crossroads of many cultures and civilizations, occupying a unique place in the cultural geography of central asia. The manifestations of these cultural dimensions explain the. The history is almost entirely political and military in nature, recounting shifting dynasties and governments and successive.
The first historical documents date from the early part of the iranian achaemenian dynasty, which controlled the area from 550 bc until 331 bc. On the cultural history of opium and how poppy came to. A fascinating illustrated introduction to the cultural history, peoples. The exhibit includes harvesting tools and smoking utensils, a statue of a greek goddess with a poppy head as her symbol, a hall of fame of opium eaters in the colours that the drug users see, an iconic perfume bottle. A cultural history afghanistan has headlined news stories for decades, but few people understand what s behind them. In the late 19th century, afghanistan became a buffer state in the great game between british india and the russian empire. More specifically, this dimensional analysis discusses power distance pd, uncertainty avoidance ua, individualism ind, and masculinity mas in the afghan national culture. History is messy stuff, but much of it is, in fact, not ugly. Afghanistan culture, history discussed in xlibris book. Recent international intervention in afghanistan has reproduced familiar versions of the afghan national story, from repeatedly doomed invasions to perpetual fault lines of ethnic division. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read afghanistan.
Thus we are privileged to see the landscape, the people, and rulers, the events through different eyes. I was pleased to find that its an incredibly readable history book that makes the subject understandable and reveals the complicated lives of the people of afghanistan. The word afghan historically has been used to designate the members of an ethnic group also called the pashtuns, but afghanistan is multicultural and multiethnic. A cultural and political history princeton studies in. So, too, fared much of the country, its economy in shambles and its people scattered and. Afghanistan the arts and cultural institutions britannica. Cultural policy in afghanistan shafie rahel unesco press between two giants.
Barfield has captured political, social, and cultural insights of extraordinary importance to the. A major intervention in understanding a wartorn country through an insider account, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of politics and international relations, especially those concerned with multiculturalism, statebuilding, nationalism, and liberalism, as well as those in cultural studies, history, afghanistan. Afghanistan s culture can be traced as far back as 4000 bc with stunning prehistoric monuments standing to witness to its rich tribal history, many of which are still evident today outside of kabul. It is definitely not a book without merit, but the places in between is just so much more. The political history of the modern state of afghanistan began with the hotak and durrani dynasties in the 18th century, with ahmad shah abdali being considered as the founder of the state. Negotiating cultural diversity in afghanistan bookshare. Early cities such as mundigak and balkh sprang up around 5,000 years ago.
Lying along important trade routes connecting southern and eastern asia to europe and the middle east, afghanistan has long been a prize sought by empire builders, and for millennia great armies have attempted to subdue it, leaving traces of their efforts in great monuments now fallen to ruin. A cultural and political history by thomas barfield is a learned, detailed, well written book by an anthropologist, not a historian. Therefore, afghanistan translates to land of the afghans or, more. Afghan history through afghan eyes nile green oxford. Discover the rich history, language and culture of afghanistan.
Once rendered vague and mysterious to the rest of the world, ehsan entezar brings to light the culture and history of afghanistan in the xlibris release, afghanistan 101. A chronology of key events in the history of afghanistan, from the mid1800s to the present day. The written recorded history of the land presently constituting afghanistan can be traced back to. I know this will inevitably be your own, personal, take, but what is important in american. Barfields cultural and political history of afghanistan acts as a solid introduction to those who havent a clue as to the countrys past before the headlines of the 21st century. Afghanistan 101 is an introduction to afghan culture. Barfield does not give the united states a way out of afghanistan, but he does provide the context necessary for good policymaking. Thomas barfield introduces readers to the bewildering diversity of tribal and ethnic groups in afghanistan, explaining what unites them as. In recent history, afghanistan has been the focus of international attention since the soviet invasion and occupation of.
The more you know about it, the more the messes make sense, both in a historical and modern context. After the formation of the modern nationstate between 18801929, afghanistan has witnessed at least seven major conflicts. A cultural and political history ebook written by thomas barfield. The history of external interventions in afghanistan extends to conflicts with britain beginning in 1839, continuing to the soviet invasion 197919801981198219831984198519861987. In the 4th century bc alexander the great reached the country, leaving behind a hellenic legacy that would linger for centuries.
Invading tribes and armies passed through ancient afghanistan and left their imprint on the culture, customs, and way of life there. A cultural and political history, boston university anthropology professor thomas bar. St john simpson while the modern nation can trace its origins back to 1747, the history of afghanistan is far more ancient. It still remains highly relevant for anthropological research on the cultural history of central asia. Afghan history through afghan eyes nile green oxford university press. A cultural and political history princeton university. The best books on afghanistan five books expert recommendations.
To understand afghan society, read before taliban and heroes of the age by david edwards, and afghanistan. Afghanistan history, map, flag, capital, population. One of the great pleasures of writing my new book, return of a king. It describes afghan pushtun genealogies, the various lineages, and the many political events, wars, and polities, such as the safavid and mughal dynasties in khorasan and india, with which the pushtuns have historically been identified. Starting from the war of state construction and establishing a centralized authority between 18801901. The 7 best books on afghanistan khaled hosseini the kite runner. Afghanistans culture can be traced as far back as 4000 bc with stunning prehistoric monuments standing to witness to its rich tribal history, many of which are still evident today outside of kabul. This book is an authoritative and wellwritten summary of what we might call the majority view. Cultural heritage book series university of central asia. The root name afghan was used historically in reference to a member of the ethnic pashtuns, and the suffix stan means place of in persian.
A cultural history 2012 and looted, recovered, returned. Culture and customs of afghanistan cultures and customs. Afghanistan traces the historic struggles and the changing nature of po. Based on archaeological evidence, urban civilization began in the region between 3000 and 2000 bc. The best books on american history five books expert. The history of afghanistan is a history of war and conflict even up to present day. The land that is now afghanistan has a long history of domination by foreign conquerors and strife among internally warring factions. Back bay books september 23rd, 1998 add to wish list african american experience. A cultural and political history is an invaluable book. Afghanistan afghanistan the arts and cultural institutions. Though such a rich tapestry of history, culture, politics, and sociology is hardly done justice in the less than 400 pages of this book. The book can be purchased from university of central asias cultural heritage and humanities unit. Dr st john simpson is a senior curator and archaeologist in the department of the middle east in the british museum, london, and has excavated widely in the middle east and central asia. The written recorded history of the land presently constituting afghanistan can be traced back to around 500 bce when the area was under the achaemenid empire, although evidence indicates that an advanced degree of urbanized culture has existed in the land since.
Jan 09, 2017 there are several books that are excellent in covering different aspects of afghanistans history. Afghanistan is bordered by iran on the west, by pakistan on the east and south, and by turkmenistan, uzbekistan, and tajikistan on the north. List of books and articles about afghan history online. A cultural and political history, also has the ambitious goalof being a comprehensive but readable short history of afghanistan, with a.
Written by an expert, with the stylistic flair to be savored by the nonexpert, afghanistan also has judgments worthy of scholarly reflection. It was a base of action for many rulers of india, notably the mughals. John simpson, assistant keeper of the british museum s ancient iran and arabia collections, goes a long way toward filling that gap. Black history and culture through speeches, letters, editorials, poems, songs, and stories paperback.
A cultural and political history by thomas barfield. At the gateway between asia and europe, this land was. Ibn khaldun began writing the book in 75 so its certainly the oldest on my list. Thomas barfield introduces readers to the bewildering diversity of tribal and ethnic groups in afghanistan, explaining what unites them as afghans despite the regional, cultural, and. Library of congress federal research division country profile.
The culture of asia encompasses the collective and diverse customs and traditions of art, architecture, music, literature, lifestyle, philosophy, politics and religion that have been practiced and maintained by the numerous ethnic groups of the continent of asia since prehistory. Important ancient kingdoms of afghanistan include the median and achaemenid empires. Jan 11, 2016 it specifically covers the cultural history of opium and how its use spread from europe and the eastern mediterranean to asia. History of afghanistan afghanistan was settled at least 50,000 years ago. Explorer, archaeologist, numismatist and intelligence agent by. These dimensions are based on the work of the wellknown dutch anthropologist geert hofestede. Reading this fascinating book is like registering for a survey course in the history of afghanistan. There are several books that are excellent in covering different aspects of afghanistan s history. The state was formed by the political expansion of pashtun tribes in the middle of the eighteenth century but was not unified until the end of the nineteenth century.