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 Buzkashi Game and Power in Afghanistan, Second Edition
G. Whitney Azoy
Now available from Waveland Press as an updated
Second Edition, Buzkashi: Game and Power in Afghanistan is not only the
first full-scale anthropological examination of a single sport, but also a
beautifully written case study about a place and a people that have been largely
ignored in the social science literature. Buzkashi, perhaps the wildest game in
the world and a vivid feature of Afghan life, entails the aggressive struggle of
hundreds of horsemen over a mutilated calf carcass. Shortly after the first
appearance of Azoy’s book, the world press came to use the actual play of
buzkashi in print as a metaphor for Afghan politics. Azoy’s incisive analysis of
Afghan political dynamics demonstrates how play and politics, ordinarily
perceived as separate activities, can interpenetrate one another. Sadly but
truly, buzkashi continues to prove itself to be an apt metaphor for ongoing
Afghan political control and chaos. The Waveland edition includes two new
chapters: “For Real (1978–2002),” which describes buzkashi as played over the
past twenty years in new places by new people, and a chapter serving as a
personal tribute to the author’s friend and field informant. $15.50 list, 160 pages 10-digit ISBN: 1-57766-238-5 13-digit ISBN: 978-1-57766-238-9 © 2003 The book is a wonderful combination of ethnography and metaphor. The writing is excellent. Very accessible for students.” — Dean A. Boldon, Maryville College “Buzkashi is an interesting text. I enjoyed the descriptions, the analysis is clear, and the author chose great illustrations. It connects well with current American interest in Afghanistan.” — Uzi Baram, New College, University of South Florida “This is a superb book, presenting in an accessible style the complexities of local-national politics in Afghanistan through the unique lens of anthropological analysis. An excellent introduction to interpretation, fieldwork, and the intricacies of understanding another society through its self-reflective expressions.” — Jon W. Anderson, Catholic University of America “A capturing inventory of the features and organization of the traditional Afghan horse game and a challenging attempt to use the symbolic meaning of buzkashi as a guideline in understanding the dynamics of Afghanistan politics.” — Gary Chick, Penn State University “An excellent piece of work. Azoy does a wonderful job of demonstrating how this game may serve as a metaphor or lens through which we may examine and attempt to understand Afghan history and politics.” — Scott Williams, SUNY/Albany “Interesting and insightful. It penetrates a culture rarely understood by the European-American. The contents challenge xenophobia and ethnocentrism!” — Elena Eritta, SUNY/Farmingdale “This is one of the few, and finest, single-volume studies of a game/sport, and it is an eminently readable one.” — Thomas M. Wilson, Binghamton University Table of Contents
1. The Laughable Game |