Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History

Make It Yours – See Your Price On Amazon!

Your Sales Price $0.00

A quick rundown of this product’s key features:

Afghanistan traces the historic struggles and the changing nature of political authority in this volatile region of the world, from the Mughal Empire in the 16th century to the Taliban resurgence today. Thomas Barfield introduces listeners to the bewildering diversity of tribal and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, explaining what unites them as Afghans despite the regional, cultural, and political differences that divide them. He shows how governing these peoples was relatively easy when power was concentrated in a small dynastic elite, but how this delicate political order broke down in the 19th and 20th centuries when Afghanistan’s rulers mobilized rural militias to expel first the British and later the Soviets.

Armed insurgency proved remarkably successful against the foreign occupiers, but it also undermined the Afghan government’s authority and rendered the country ever more difficult to govern as time passed. Barfield vividly describes how Afghanistan’s armed factions plunged the country into a civil war, giving rise to clerical rule by the Taliban and Afghanistan’s isolation from the world. He examines why the American invasion in the wake of September 11 toppled the Taliban so quickly, and how this easy victory lulled the United States into falsely believing that a viable state could be built just as easily.

Afghanistan is essential listening for anyone who wants to understand how a land conquered and ruled by foreign dynasties for more than a thousand years became the “graveyard of empires” for the British and Soviets, and what the United States must do to avoid a similar fate.

Our Top Reviews

Reviewer: gt surber
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Your source for understanding Afghanistan people, culture and history
Review: Review -Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History”Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History” by Thomas Barfield is a learned, detailed, well written book by an anthropologist, not a historian. Thus we are privileged to see the landscape, the people, and rulers, the events through different eyes. Thomas Barfield not only tells us the history of kingdoms and kings, and battles and wars, but also tells us of the nature of the people of Afghanistan. He tells us of the why and the how of the history. The sweep is broad and the story dramatic.Thomas Barfield writes with an educated tongue. I am glad I have my copy as an ebook so as to use the easy access to a dictionary. But the writing is clear and intriguing. The story is well told and fascinating. The detail is crisp and clear.The book is copyrighted 2010, as a part of the Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics. Looking through the titles in the collection, this book is in highly esteemed company.Thomas Barfield brings us right up to 2010 with many observations on the status of the politics of Afghanistan at that time. He spends time tracing the “longe duree” and how that long history impacts Afghanistan today. Thus, if you are looking for a book placing the current events in Afghanistan in their historical context, this is it. And it does it very well. Some may disagree with his conclusions. But Thomas Barfield supports his conclusions well. The book is well worth the read.

Reviewer: Keith Boyea
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Balanced, Well Presented, and Well Written
Review: Afghanistan is a notoriously complex country with a notoriously complex history. Barfield has done a fantastic job of presenting a balanced overview of its history. At times, my head spun as I tried to keep the long cast of characters straight, but when I finished I felt like I had a better grasp on Afghanistan than when I started.If I had to make a light criticism, I would say that the first half of the book is a bit tougher to read because it deals in demographics and geography. It reminded me a bit of of the early sections of Louis Dupree’s book, Afghanistan.The book’s biggest strength is the history of Afghanistan since 1901. (I felt like it was the most relevant part to understanding the US effort there.) Since 1901, every Afghan leader has been either killed or exiled. I thought that was a striking piece of information given the US’s contentious relationship with President Karzai.I give the book five starts and a must read for anyone interested in the US effort in Afghanistan. For people who follow Afghanistan very closely, some of it will be a review, but I suspect Afghan watchers of all levels of expertise will benefit from reading this book.

Reviewer: William H. Folk II
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Interesting read
Review: Fascinating read. Many times you wonder about the countries that we hear about in the news and to completely understand the back-story it is important to pick up a book like this one.To call Afghanistan backward would be improper; to call them out of date would be accurate. The author takes is through the turmoil that the country has dealt with for nearly 3 centuries. The conquers and those that the people defeated.In the end you come out with a deep respect for these people but wonder what is the best course of action to take. Should the US support this country with troops and financial aid or would it be best to back out and allow the country to do what it has always done.The author makes the process much more convoluted when he clearly shows his bias against President Bush near the end of the book. He clearly does not appreciate the near complete withdrawal of troops after the defeat of the Taliban but then makes it clear that the problems that have arisen in the aftermath are issues that only Afghanistan can correct…so which is it?The fact that this country has so much potential and growth makes it a country to continue to watch for years to come.

Reviewer: Mellie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great book…
Review: I originally began reading this book by checking it out at my local library. It was a wealth of knowledge and therefore I decided to purchase it. I appreciate the thoroughness in understanding Afghanistan’s history. It is well written and dedicated to ensuring the reader understands what is rooted in the several transformations of Afghanistan.

Reviewer: Mary
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great insight!
Review: Great insight! Interesting history and how history happened, the politics, foreign countries trying to control and use Afghanistan. Good read!

Reviewer: Reader2010
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Amazing Introduction to Afghanistan
Review: I found this book to be a fascinating read on the history and culture of Afghanistan. I began with very little knowledge of the nation and came out with a much deeper understanding than I thought possible. This book is well-written and wonderfully organized to present the subject in a way fitting of its rich history and intricate conflicts. After reading this, I find I understand news stories much better and am able to contextualize them. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Afghanistan or America’s foreign policy in the region. This is not an area I was exposed to in my life in the US thus far, but an important part of world history. Afghanistan seems remote, but its long history is filled with Superpower involvement, invasion, and geopolitical significance.

Reviewer: InSu Whoo
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Lessons learned from UK, Russia, USA &…
Review: Barfield book gives a historical scope to Afghanistan. The foreign powers who imposed their will vs Afghan’s many cultures.When USA attacked Afghanistan Russians said, ‘now it’s their turn’Now it’s China’s turn.History repeats

Reviewer: Mark Peterson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An excellent history of a country I wanted to know more about
Review: I wanted to know more about Afghanistan, and I found this book to be very well written and researched. The perspective is the history of the people and tribal groups, as opposed to just military history (which is of course necessary to the discussion of this country). There aren’t any ‘answers’ about what will happen to Afghanistan, and the book does an excellent analysis of why that is the has been and is now the case.

Reviewer: Sam
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book has a special place in my personal library. It is an excellent socio-political study of Afghanistan. Thomas Barfield brings a great insight of the cultural background of the very complex afghan tribes. The historical study as well as the political analysis brings a great explanation for the current situation in Afghanistan. It is rare to find books covering this much Afghan history. Usually, we can only find documentation covering everything after the Soviet invasion.

Reviewer: lorenzo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Semplicemente perfetto, lo consiglio .

Reviewer: Pc
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A brilliant account of Afghanistan’s cultural and political history from an historical and anthropological point of viewRecommended for anyone interested in learning about Afghanistan

Reviewer: Kamran
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Delivery was on time & a good book to read

Reviewer: Annika
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Book in excellent shape. Seller described it right and it was sent in time and without any flaw in the handling of the purchase! Thank you!

Price effective as of Jan 26, 2025 23:46:47 UTC

As an Amazon Associate Dealors may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.