State Formation in Afghanistan: A Theoretical and Political History (Library of International Relations)

"The creation of Afghanistan in 1880, following the Second Anglo-Afghan War, gave an empowering voice to the Pashtun people, the largest ethnic group in a diverse country. In order to distil the narrative of the state's formation and early years, a Pashtun-centric version of history dominated Afghan history and the political process from 1880 to the 1970s. Alternative discourses made no appearance in the fledgling state which lacked the scholarly institutions and any sense of recognition for history, thus providing no alternatives to the narratives produced by the British, whose quasi-colonial influence in the region was supreme. Since 1970, the ongoing crises in Afghanistan have opened the space for non-Pashtuns, including Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks, to form new definitions of identity, challenge the official discourse and call for the re-writing of the long-established narrative. At the same time, the Pashtun camp, through their privileged position in the political settlements of 2001, have attempted to confront the desire for change in historical perceptions by re-emphasising the Pashtun domination of Afghan history. This crisis of hegemony has led to a deep antagonism between the Pashtun and non-Pashtun perspectives of Afghan history and threatens the stability of political process in the country."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Cover Author Bio Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgements List of Maps Introduction Problematizing the Literature on Official Discourse of State Formation in Afghanistan The Afghan/Pashtun Ethno-centric Nationalist Exclusionary Discourse The Colonial and Post-Colonial Discourse The Non-Pashtun Inclusive Discourse The Post-Dislocation Critical Discourse Organization of the Chapters On Materials and Sources Consulted 1. Theoretical Framework Introduction Discourse Theory Derrida’s and Foucault’s Perception of Discourse Discourse Theory of Laclau and Mouffe Transforming Antagonism into Agonism Colonialism and Post-Colonial Discourse Discourse, Orientalism, and Deconstruction Colonial Knowledge and the Question of Credibility The State Debate Concluding Remarks 2. Reconstructing the Official Discourse of State Formation in Afghanistan: 1880–2010 Introduction Codification and Establishment of the Official Discourse 1880–1901/1901–19 Establishment and Enrichment of the Official Discourse 1919–28 Sophistication and Advancement of the Official Discourse 1930–78 Dislocation and Diversification 1978–2001 A Return to the Past: The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 2001–10 3. Reconstructing the Discourse of State Formation in English Literature on Afghanistan: 1809–2010 Introduction Colonial Knowledge Formation 1808–1901 George Forster Mountstuart Elphinstone Afghanistan and Afghans; as the Master Signifier of the Discourse The Nodal Point of Emergence The Nodal Point of Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) or Governance through Assemblies The Nodal Point of Invasion and Resistance Convergence of Colonial Discourse with Afghan National Discourse (1901–78) Afghanistan and Afghans as the Master Signifier of the Discourse in Post-1920 The Nodal Point of Emergence The Nodal Point of Jirga and Loya Jirga or Government through Assemblies The Nodal Point of Invasion and Resistance L. Dupree The Nodal Point of Emergence The Nodal Point of Loya Jirga or Governance by Councils The Nodal Point of Invasion and Resistance A Post-1980 Perspective of State Formation in English An Afghan Perspective of State Formation in English Afghan (Pashtun) Writers and the Discourse of State Formation Dislocation, Diversification and Decolonization 1978–2010 Concluding Remarks 4. Historiographies, Treaties, Cartographies and Atlases: Problematizing the Official Discourse of State Formation in Afghanistan Introduction The Historiography of 1300–1880 and the Story of State Formation in Afghanistan Genesis of the Afghan State in the Light of Treaties and Official Engagements with the East India Company and the British Empire Cartography, Maps, Atlases, Historical Geography and the Master Signifier of the Official Discourse: Ariana, Khurasan and Afghanistan Concluding remarks 5. Dislocation, Diversification and Decolonization of the Official Discourse of State Formation in Afghanistan Introduction The Post-Dislocation English Literature and the Master Signifier of the Official Discourse: Afghanistan and Afghans Jonathan L. Lee Christine Noelle-Karimi Thomas Barfield Indigenous Post-Dislocation Discourses in English Challenging the Official Narrative M. Nazif Shahrani Sayed Askar Mousavi Angela Pervanta Shah Mahmoud Hanifi Indigenous Post-Dislocation Discourses in Persian Challenging the Official Narrative Muhaiddin Mehdi Abdul K. Lalzad Aziz Arianfar Seddiq Rahpoe Tarzi Changiz Pahlavan The Post-Dislocation Literature and Nodal Points of the Official Discourse The Myth of Emergence and the Nodal Point of Loya Jirga The Nodal Point of Invasion and Resistance Concluding Remarks 6. Transforming Radical Antagonism to Plural Agonism Introduction General Observations Contextualizing Afghanistan in the Wider Region Differentiating between Pre-Colonial and Post-Colonial Political Maps of the Region Differentiating between Afghanistan as a Political Entity and Afghans (Pashtuns) as an Ethnic Group How to Approach the Official Discourse Civilizational Discourse as the Empty Signifier of Unity and Coexistence The Nodal Points of the Civilizational Discourse Critique of Civilizational Discourse Concluding Remarks Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index "The creation of modern Afghanistan in 1880, following the second Anglo-Afghan War, gave an empowering voice to the Pashtun people, the largest ethnic group in a diverse country. In order to distil the narrative of the state's formation and early years, a Pashtun-centric version dominated Afghan history and the country's political process from 1880 to the 1970s. Alternative discourses made no appearance in the fledgling state, which lacked the scholarly institutions and any sense of recognition for history to provide any alternatives to the narratives produced by the British, whose quasi-colonial influence in the region was supreme. Since 1970, the ongoing crises in Afghanistan have opened a space for non-Pashtuns, including Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks, to form new definitions of identity, challenge the official discourse and call for the re-writing of the long-established narrative. At the same time, the Pashtun camp, through their privileged position in the political settlements of 2001, have attempted to confront the desire for change in historical perceptions by re-emphasizing the Pashtun domination of Afghan history. This crisis of hegemony has led to a deep antagonism between between the Pashtun and non-Pashtun perspectives of Afghan history and threatens the stability of political process in the country"-- Page [4] of cover