Afghanistan Culture |
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General Information
Books on Afghanistan
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Afghan War News > Culture > Afghanistan Culture When I took a decision or adapted an alternative, it was after studying every relevant and many irrelevant factors. Geography, tribal structures, religion, social customs, languages, appetites, standards, all were at my fingertips. Afghanistan is one of the more interesting countries in the world. One of the interesting aspects of Afghanistan is its culture; which is extremely different than what most Americans and other 'westerners' have been exposed to. An appreciation of Afghan culture is very important in the understanding of the Afghan society and the ability to interact successfully with Afghan government, military, and police leaders; as well as with the Afghan population in general. Religion. The predominent religion in Afghanistan is Islam. Ramazan is observed every year by Muslims in Afghanistan. Another important holiday is Eid-al-Adha which lasts about 3-4 days. Pashtunwali. 'Way of the Pashtuns". Pashtunwali is part of Pashtun culture. It is a non-written ethical code and traditional lifestyle which the Pashtun people (located primarily in eastern and southern Afghanistan) follow. There are ten main principles: hospitality, asylum, justice, bravery, loyalty, righteousness, trust in God, courage, protection of women, and honor. Most of the Pashtun tribes observe Pashtunwali to some degree. Afghan Weddings. Depending on the ethnic group, income, and region the weddings in Afghanistan vary in custom. Weddings in Kabul among the middle class can be very expensive - some as much as 20 to 30 thousand dollars. 1. Informational Sources on Pashtunwali: Learn more about
pashtunwali at Wikipedia. Understanding Afghan Culture: Operational
Pashtunwali, Program for Culture and Conflict Studies (CCS),
Department of National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School, 15
June 2009.
Human Terrain System and Human Terrain Teams. In an effort to help Soldiers become more aware of the dynamics of Afghan society the military fielded teams of social scientists and anthropologists to augment the brigade combat teams deployed to Afghanistan. These teams consisted of 4 to 6 members with varied backgrounds. Learn more about the Human Terrain Teams in Afghanistan.
Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning.
US Marine Corps. Accessed at the following link:
Cross-Cultural Guide - Peace Corps
Culture Awareness: Afghanistan. Peace Support Training Center,
Canadian Forces.
Pakistan and Afghanistan Culture Lessons. Prepared for the Marines by
the Language Acquisition Resource Center (LARC) at San Diego State
University.
Program for Culture & Conflict Studies. Naval Postgraduate School
(NPS).
Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture
Afghanistan Culture
Afghan Culture. National Geographic Magazine.
Afghan Culture Museum. A 3D online museum on Afghan culture.
Afghan Cultural House. A non-profit cultural umbrella organization.
Afghanistan Culture. Asian Studies Center of Michigan State University.
Afghanistan Language and Culture Program (ALCP). San Diego State
University.
Centre for Intercultural Learning
Cultural Affairs Section of The Embassy of Afghanistan (Washington,
D.C.).
Culture of Afghanistan by Wikipedia.
Culture of Afghanistan. Central-Asia.Info.
Culture of Afghanistan. By the Afghanistan Language and Culture
Program of San Diego State University.
Centre for Intercultural Learning
UNESCO: Afghan Cultural Heritage.
Afghan Culture Unveiled. Stories on women, food, and cultural
literacy.
U.S. Army, Intelligence, ADRP 2-0,
August 2012. Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL),
Afghan Culture, Observations, Insights, and Lessons, Newsletter
No. 10-64, September 2010. Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL),
Understanding Afghan Culture, Newsletter No. 12-18, September 2012.
Observations, Insights and Lessons. Department of Defense, Defense Language,
Regional Expertise, and Culture Program (DLRECP), Number
5160.41E, August 21, 2015. Department of Army,
Culture Cards: Afghanistan & Islamic
Culture, GTA 21-03-022, September 2011. DA, Maneuver Center of
Excellence, Fort Benning, Georgia. Access
here on Army Training (and Education) Network (ATN). Department of the Army, Chapter 3 "Culture", FM
3-24, Insurgencies and Countering Insurgencies, May 2014. This
extract from FM 3-24 addresses culture and its role in a
counterinsurgency operational environment. (Adobe Acrobat PDF, 6 pages
long, and 223 KBs big). Department of Army, Culture Cards: Afghanistan & Islamic Culture, GTA 21-03-022, September 2011. DA, Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning, Georgia. Access here on Army Training (and Education) Network (ATN). Department of the Navy, Operational Culture
and Language Training and Readiness (T&R) Manual, NAVMC 3500.65A,
January 20, 2012. NATO HUMINT Centre of Excellence.
Human Aspects in Afghanistan Handbook, 2013. Provides information on
history, population, social aspects, governance, political aspects,
economic aspects, criminality and security threats, communications and
media, ANSF, cultural aspects, dos and don'ts, food, clothing, and ethnic
groups. An Adobe Acrobat PDF available below. Unknown Author, Background Brief: Afghanistan – Cultural Appreciation Booklet (FOUO), January 2009. USMC, Operational Culture for Deploying Personnel, Afghanistan, May 2009. Wise, Chris J. et al,
Methods to Improve Cultural
Communication Skills in Special Operating Forces, U.S. Army Research
Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, March 1997. Yager, Mark, Andi O'Conor, and Kimberly Metcalf.
Assessing Cross-cultural Training for Military Advisors, Defense
Culture, 2012.
2019 Giustozzi, Dr. Antonio,
Nomad-Settler Conflict in Afghanistan Today, Afghanistan Research
Evaluation Unit (AREU), November 13, 2019, 70 pages. 2017 Stein, Gil J., et al.
Preserving the Cultural Heritage of Afghanistan, The Oriental
Institute, the University of Chicago, 2017. 2014
2012 Kim, Jason.
“Cultural Awareness and Language Proficiency: Critical for
Regionally Aligned Forces”, Small
Wars Journal, November 16, 2012. Kim, Jason.
“Cultural Awareness and Language Proficiency: Critical for
Regionally Aligned Forces”, Small
Wars Journal, November 16, 2012. 2009
2006 Merrill, Linda, Donald Paxson, and
Thomas Tobey. An Introduction to Afghanistan Culture, UC Davis,
Fall 2006.
Afghan Culture Unveiled. Rich
culture, delicious fodd, and stories from Afghanistan. Food in Afghanistan. By SAARC
Tourism Afghanistan. Landai Season. A traditional
winter (or late fall) food feast. Read more in a report by Fazal
Muzhary in Landai Season: a delicacy and a feast in rural
Afghanistan, Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), December 30,
2015.
National Museum of Afghanistan.
Revolutionary Association of the
Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) Women in Afghanistan by Afghan
War News. "Bacha Posh". Turning a daughter into a son to compensate for no male children. The girl is raised as a boy. For more on this cultural practice read "Turning daughters into sons, Afghans empower girls", The Boston Globe, May 4, 2014.
SAARC Tourism - Afghanistan.
South Asian Association for Region Cooperation. Skiing in Afghanistan. Eventually, many years from now, Afghanistan will boast some awesome ski resorts. Learn more about the potential for skiing in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan . TrekEarth -
Learning about the world through photography. Afghanistan As It Once Was,
Radio Free Europe. A collection of phontos by William Podlich - a
professor who spent two years in Kabul teaching in late 1960s.
Kuchi Nomads: Struggling and
Stateless in War-Torn Lands, Radio Free Europe, February 9, 2016.
3 minutes long. Reviving the Attan;
Afghanistan's National Dance, NATO Channel video posted on
YouTube about the centuries-old Afghan dance. (Dec 9, 2014, YouTube, 3
mins.). The Jewellers - Crafting
Afghanistan's Future. NATO channel video posted on YouTube about
traditional jewellry making in Afghanistan (Oct 22, 2014, 3 mins). The Potter -Crafting
Afghanistan's Future. NATO channel video posted on YouTube about
traditional Afghan pottery (October 21, 2014 , 2 1/ minutes).
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