Afghanistan has at one and the same time been at the center of global dynamics and resolutely separated from them. These intersections were put into stark relief in 2001 when Afghanistan became the center of the world’s attention following the attacks on the World Trade Center, the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the attempt to uproot the Taliban. Then over twenty years later, Afghanistan took center stage again when the American withdrawal in August 2021 sent the nation reeling into chaos and the world witnessed the Taliban takeover and the ensuing humanitarian crisis. These events, though, are part of a much longer history where Afghanistan has been at the center of geopolitical tensions. In Games Without Rules, Tamim Ansary explains the great riddle of Afghanistan: “Why does every great power going into Afghanistan make exactly the same mistakes as the previous great power going into Afghanistan, even though each one comes to grief in pretty much the same way and for pretty much the same reasons?” This symposium seeks to explore how Afghanistan both defines and defies the long history of geopolitical dynamics, statecraft, cultural exchange, and identity formation. Papers will examine the topic of a global Afghanistan from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including but not limited to history, economics, political science, religious studies, cultural studies, and human rights. Our goal is to offer much-needed perspectives on the process of the Afghan nation-building project, the global aspects of Afghanistan in the 20-21st centuries, Afghan society from domestic and international geo-political angles, the complexities of Afghan culture, and the prospects of an independent Afghanistan. Bringing together scholars, policy makers, and public intellectuals, this event aims to begin an ongoing dialogue. In order to increase the impact of the event, papers presented at the symposium will be published as an edited volume in addition to the development of a complementary website of resources, including videos of presentations.
If wanting to participate remotely, use the following links to access the talks:
Ambassador Roya Rahmani; Sarah Chayes; Tamim Ansary; Panels
Schedule
March 15, 2023:
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.: Screening of the film Retrograde; Carnegie Theater
March 17, 2023:
4:30 – 6:00 p.m.: Opening Keynote: Ambassador Roya Rahmani; Greg Sutliff Auditorium, Lewis Katz Building
“Afghanistan: A Security Dilemma That May Be Solved Through Non-Militarized Means”
6:00 – 7:00 p.m.: Reception; Lewis Katz Atrium
March 18, 2023:
9:00 – 10:15 a.m.: Featured Speaker: Sarah Chayes; Room 116 Lewis Katz Building
“Afghanistan: The Bridge to Everywhere”
10:15 – 10:30 a.m.: Break
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Panel 1: Media and Cultural Landscapes in Modern Afghanistan; Room 116 Lewis Katz Building
Featured Panelists:
- Dr. Mejgan Massoumi: “Transregional Sonic Pasts and Transnational Sonic Presents in Afghanistan”
- Dr. Ali Karimi: “Vertical Governance in Contested Territories: American Surveillance Blimps in Afghanistan”
- Ahmad Rashid Salim: “Tongue-tied and heart-bound – The lines of language, literature, and religion in the resistance”
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.: Lunch
1:30 – 3:00 p.m.: Panel 2: Afghanistan Beyond Headlines–examining the social, religious, and gender tapestry; Room 116 Lewis Katz Building
Featured Panelists:
- Munazza Ebtikar: “Women, War, Memory, and Subjectivity in a Rural Community of Northern Afghanistan”
- Dr. Omar Sadr: “Political order, religion, and pluralism in Afghanistan”
- Dr. Shah Mahmoud Hanifi: “Primary Environmental History Lessons for the Afghan People”
3:00 – 3:15 p.m.: Break
3:15 – 4:45 p.m.: Panel 3: Words Collide–The Politics of Writing Afghanistan
Featured Panelists:
- Dr. Wali Ahmadi: “The Tortuous Ends of Empire: Afghanistan, America, and the Politics of Historical Dispossession”
- Dr. Zubeda Jalalzai: “How to Write about Afghanistan?: Anti-Imperialist Nostalgia in the 9/11 Era and Beyond”
- Dr. Marjan Wardaki: “The Birth of New Medical Centers in Afghanistan, 1930-60″
4:45 – 5:00 p.m.: Break
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.: Closing Keynote: Tamim Ansary; Greg Sutliff Auditorium, Lewis Katz Building
“Worlds Within Worlds: Afghanistan and the Emergence of a Global Culture”
7:00 p.m.: Conference Dinner