List of Figures and Tables
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Cultural Diversity and the State
Chapter 3: Afghan Nationalism and its Discontents
Chapter 4: Modes of Cultural Integration and Homogenisation in Afghanistan
Chapter 5: The Problematique of Governance of Cultural Diversity
Chapter 6: Intercultural Dialogue in a Fragile Society
Chapter 7: Role of External Actors in Afghanistan (1992–2014)
Chapter 8: Conclusion
Index
Biography
Omar Sadr is Assistant Professor at American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), Kabul, Afghanistan. Previously, he worked at the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS) and National Centre for Policy Research (NCPR), Kabul University. His primary research interests are in the intersection of culture and politics. He earned a doctorate from South Asian University, New Delhi, India. His recent publications include "Political Settlement of Afghanistan Conflict" (2019); "The Fallacy of Afghanistan’s Peace Process: A People’s Perspectives" (2018); "Mahmud Tarzi: Intellectual and Reformist," in Dev N. Pathak and Sanjeev Kumar H.M. (eds), Modern South Asian Thinkers (2018); "Afghanistan: The Vulnerabilities of Minorities," in Sajjad Hassan (ed.), South Asia State of Minorities Report 2016: Mapping the Terrain (2016); and "Rethinking Stability for Afghanistan: Socializing Great Powers in a Multilateral Order," in Rajen Harshe and Dhananjay Tripathi (eds), Afghanistan Post-2014: Power Configurations and Evaluating Trajectories (2015).
‘Omar Sadr attempts a well-founded analysis of the identity politics in Afghanistan. His central argument — that for democracy to be a successful project, it must be grounded in the representation of cultural diversity — is pertinent to contemporary Afghanistan. Sadr’s contribution to the discourse on multiculturalism addresses a crucial gap in the literature on Afghanistan, making it significant for its academic worth and its relevance to policy.’
Jayashree Vivekanandan, Department of International Relations, South Asian University, New Delhi, India
‘Drawing on contemporary normative literature, both from political theory and international relations, Omar Sadr makes a compelling case for preserving cultural diversity in Afghanistan. This work is laudable and well-timed, considering a growing perception that multiculturalism is on the wane globally. I am sure Sadr’s work will immensely profit scholars across disciplines and especially those keen to learn from a transnational mapping of multicultural theory and practice beyond the intellectual comfort zone of Western constructs.’
Ashok Acharya, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Delhi, India
