Research Catalog

Title

Heroes of the age : moral fault lines on the Afghan frontier / David B. Edwards.

Author

Edwards, David B.

Publication

Berkeley : University of California Press, ©1996.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xv, 307 pages : illustrations, maps; 24 cm.

Summary

Much of the political turmoil that has occurred in Afghanistan since the Marxist revolution of 1978 has been attributed to the dispute between Soviet-aligned Marxists and the religious extremists inspired by Egyptian and Pakistani brands of "fundamentalist" Islam. In a significant departure from this view, David B. Edwards contends that - though Marxism and radical Islam have undoubtedly played a significant role in the conflict - Afghanistan's troubles derive less from foreign forces and the ideological divisions between groups than they do from the moral incoherence of Afghanistan itself. Seeking the historical and cultural roots of the conflict, Edwards examines the lives of three significant figures of the late nineteenth century - a tribal khan, a Muslim saint, and a prince who became king of the newly created state. He explores the ambiguities and contradictions of these lives and the stories that surround them, arguing that conflicting values within an artificially-created state are at the root of Afghanistan's current instability. Building on this foundation, Edwards examines conflicting narratives of a tribal uprising against the British Raj that broke out in the summer of 1897. Through an analysis of both colonial and native accounts, Edwards investigates the saint's role in this conflict, his relationship to the Afghan state and the tribal groups that followed him, and the larger issue of how Islam traditionally functions as an encompassing framework of political association in frontier society.

Series Statement

Comparative studies on Muslim societies ; 21

Uniform Title

Comparative studies on Muslim societies ; 21.

Subject

• Geschichte
• Grenzgebiet
• Politiker
• Tradition
• Geschichte 1880-1970
• Afghanistan > History
• Afghanistan
• Afghanistan
• Afghanistan > Politique et gouvernement > 19e siècle
• Afghanistan > Politique et gouvernement > 20e siècle

Genre/Form

History.

Bibliography (note)

• Inlcudes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

1. Introduction. Beginnings. Recollecting the Past. Contested Domains -- 2. The Making of Sultan Muhammad Khan. Myth and History. Fathers and Sons. Men and Women. Friends and Enemies. Coda: Jandad's Punishment -- 3. The Reign of the Iron Amir. Mapping the State. The Once and Future King. The Armature of Royal Rule. Kingship and Honor. Coda: The Death of the King -- 4. The Lives of an Afghan Saint. Twice-Told Tales. Fathers and Sons. Identity and Place. Discipline and Power. Benefit and Gratitude. Purity and Politics. Pirs and Princes. Coda: The Journey to Koh-i Qaf -- 5. Mad Mullas and Englishmen. A Passage to India. The Events of 1897 and Their Explanation. Waging Jihad. The Fault Lines of Authority. Tales of Jarobi Glen. Conclusion -- 6. Epilogue. Re: Posting on the Internet. Embedded Codes.

ISBN

• 0520200632
• 9780520200630
• 0520200640
• 9780520200647

LCCN

95031423

OCLC

• ocm32739759
• 32739759
• SCSB-14423820

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library