Revolutions and Rebellions in Afghanistan

edited by M. Nazif Shahrani, Robert L. Canfield, with contributions by Louis Dupree, David J. Katz, R. Lincoln Keiser, Thomas J. Barfield, Hugh Beattie, Richard Tapper, Bahram Tavakolian, Jon W. Anderson, Nancy Lindisfarne-Tapper, Nancy Dupree, M. Nazif Shahrani, Robert L. Canfield

When originally published in 1984, Revolutions and Rebellions provided the first focused consideration of the Saur Revolution in Afghanistan and the subsequent Soviet invasion and occupation of the country. Read now, within the knowledge that Afghanistan would experience 40 years of sustained war, Revolutions and Rebellions offers an opportunity for fresh insight into the antecedents of this enduring conflict. The works in this collection rely on extensive fieldwork in the years leading up to the Soviet invasion. Specific tribal, ethnic, and gender groups are considered within the context of their region. By exploring the local responses to the notion of jihad outside of Kabul, a clearer understanding of the political culture of Afghanistan can be gained. Revolutions and Rebellions provides an extraordinary opportunity to experience the diversity of the Afghan people on the cusp of irrevocable change, and to understand what they expected then of the years ahead.

Foreword to Revolutions and Rebellions in Afghanistan: Anthropological Perspectives, 2022 Edition, by M. Nazif Shahrani and Robert CanfieldPreface, by Robert CanfieldAcknowledgementsNote on TransliterationNotes on ContributorsPart I: Introduction1. Introduction: Marxist "Revolution" and Islamic Resistance in Afghanistan, by M. Nazif Shahrani2. The Marxist Regimes and the Soviet Presence in Afghanistan: An Ages-Old Culture Responds to Late Twentieth-Century Aggression, by Louis DupreePart II: Nuristan and Eastern Afghanistan4. Responses to Central Authority in Nuristan: The Case of the Väygal Valley Kalasha, by David J. Katz5. The Rebellion in Darra-i Nur, by R. Lincoln KeiserPart III: Qataghan and Badakhshan6. Causes and Context of Responses to the Saur Revolution in Badakhshan, by M. Nazif Shahrani7. Weak Links on a Rusty Chain: Structural Weaknesses in Afghanistan's Provincial Government Administration, by Thomas J. Barfield8. Effects of the Saur Revolution in the Nahrin Area of Northern Afghanistan, by Hugh BeattiePart IV: Bamyan and Turkistan9. Islamic Coalitions in Bamyan: A Problem in Translating Afghan Political Culture, by Robert Canfield10. Ethnicity and Class: Dimensions of Intergroup Conflict in North-Central Afghanistan, by Richard TapperPart V: Western and Southern Afghanistan11. Sheikhanzai Nomads and the Afghan State: A Study of Indigenous Authority and Foreign Rule, by Bahram Tavakolian12. How Afghans Define Themselves in Relation to Islam, by Jon W. AndersonPart VI: The Saur Revolution and the Afghan Woman13. Causes and Consequences of the Abolition of Brideprice in Afghanistan, by Nancy Lindisfarne-Tapper14. Revolutionary Rhetoric and Afghan Women, by Nancy DupreeGlossaryBibliographyIndex