The events of the last summer in Afghanistan had widespread implications for the state and society. State institutions were dismantled, the economy collapsed and specific social groups became more vulnerable to repression and violence. While certain aspects of this still-unfolding situation have been discussed both within and outside academia, there is a vital need for critical engagement, empirical evidence, and local voices to shed light on the crisis and what it means for research on Afghanistan going forward.

 

Although the developments of August 2021 set in motion significant changes which have shaped the current state of affairs in Afghanistan, the origins and factors leading up to the events of last summer can be traced much farther back. Hence, there is a need to locate academic discussions within the broader dynamics of state and society in Afghanistan, both now and in the past.

 

This workshop aims to bring together researchers and practitioners from a range of fields to begin a conversation about, but not limited to, the following themes:

 

-   Unpacking August 2021: What brought us here?

-   Research and academia in times of crisis

-   Identity and society: Women, vulnerable ethnicities, and religious minorities

-   State and power: The larger civil society, political participation, and legitimacy

-   Migration/dislocation, belonging, and the Afghan diaspora

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Please follow the instructions under the Submission tab to share abstracts with the organising committee. 

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This workshop is supported and funded by the Violence, Peace and Development Research Cluster at SOAS University of London.

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Convenors: Bismellah Alizada, Rabia Khan and Florence Shahabi