Talk by Zalmai Nishat, Sussex Asia Centre

For more information please go to https://centralasia.group.cam.ac.uk/events/cambridge-central-asia-forum-gcrf-compass-centre-development-studies-seminar-series

This seminar series is organised in collaboration with UKRI GCRF COMPASS Project & School of International Studies at Jeonbuk National University (Republic of Korea)

Abstract: The ‘externalistion’ of Afghanistan’s problems, that is, blaming intervention by foreign powers as the root cause of problems, is popular within and without the country. The country is economically dependent on external sources and it is located on a geopolitical fault-line between the West, Central and South Asia. This makes foreign intervention highly likely. However, I will argue that ‘internal’ political dynamics make foreign power intervention possible. The internal issues Afghanistan faces has its roots in the era of colonial indirect rule era by the British in 19th Century which was exacerbated through the adoption of an assimilationist nation state model in the early 20th-century, which gave rise to the “Afghan Millat” ideology of Pashtun/Afghan ethno-nationalism, i.e., supremacy over, and domination of, other ethno-linguistic communities (qawm, qabila, taifa, etc.). The problem with this model of nation-state is twofold: firstly, it cannot create a sense of nationhood, while also catering to the requirements of modern nation state institutions (viz., the imperative to incorporate mosaic ethno-linguistic communities); second, the Pashtun elites’ domination of other qawms is not possible without foreign support. This cycle continues, as evidenced by the takeover of the Taliban – supported by the Pakistani establishment – on 15 August 2021. This is yet another joint Pashtun and colonial attempt, with Pakistan now playing the role that was played by the British in history. This talk shall focus on the internal dynamics of politics that originate with the assimilationist nation-state model; and the ideology of “Afghan Millat” and provide a narrative of Afghanistan which originates within the borders of the modern nation state.

Biography: Mr Zalmai Nishat Darayi is a Research Associate at the Asia Centre of the University of Sussex. He has a BA in Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and an MA in Ideology and Discourse Anaylsis from the University of Essex. He is interested in the history of Afghanistan, Turkey and the wider region as well as nation-building and nationalism in Afghanistan,  and Turkey. He is also interested in post-structuralist political philosophy and the debates on liberal constitutionalism with the aim in particular of using Skinner's pioneering contextualist method to explore Islamic/Persian 'intellectual history' (literary, political and philosophical texts) as well as in the analysis of the contributions that Persian thought has made to modern philosophy. Since March 2020 he has worked on international development projects with GIZ (German Development Agency).