The objective of this paper is to stimulate a discussion about the conditions, modes and benefits of non-state-centric socio-political analyses. By introducing the notion of "social order" the authors attempt to draft a conceptual approach of how to understand political processes and outcomes in...

This paper discusses contesting notions of "the local" in Northeastern Afghanistan's Kunduz province. Empirical evidence suggests that a high fluidity and pluralistic nature of the notion of "village" exists at the local level within the boundaries of three irrigation systems. Taking into...

Almost all policymakers, journalists and researchers recognize the ethnic fissions and fractions as the predominant lines of conflict in Afghanistan. What this approach ignores is the fact that, despite the ethnicization of the conflict, the ethnicization of the Afghan people themselves failed....

Afghanistan's economy is undergoing change with recently surging GDP-growth. This empirical paper looks at two urban markets to investigate how the positive economic performance is based on local retail and trade in Kunduz and Imam Sahib. Against the backdrop of an historical overview, the main...