Democracy Matters - Episode 85: Connecting Afghanistan's Past and Present
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SUMMARY: Dr. Shah Mahmoud Hanifi, Professor of History at James Madison University, shares his expertise on the history of Afghanistan in order to better understand the present moment.
Afghanistan has a rich history of self-determination and has long served as an international crossroads of cultural, economic and political activity. It has also been the target of imperialism, attempted colonization and intervention, particularly in the last hundred years. Dr. Shah Mahmoud Hanifi, Professor of History at James Madison University, shares his expertise on the history of Afghanistan in order to better understand the present moment.
Links in this episode:
- Dr. Shah Mahmoud Hanifi
- Connecting Histories in Afghanistan ( Gutenberg-e 2008, Stanford 2011)
- A Book History of An Account of the Kingdom of Caubul
- “ A Genealogy of Orientalism in Afghanistan: The Colonial Image Lineage” (Brill, 2018)
- Drone Warfare, Bureau of Investigative Journalism
- Death by Drone, Foreign Policy
- Depleted Uranium, Reaching Critical Will
Discussion Questions:
- How does Afghanistan’s history inform the current situation?
- What role has imperialism and colonialism played in Afghanistan’s cultural, social and political development?
- How have gendered views of Afghanistan shaped narratives about women?
- How can we demilitarize and environmentalize our thinking and policy approaches?