Afghanistan
Continuity and the Persistence of Tradition, Culture and Identity
On 8–9 November 2024, The Institute of Ismaili Studies hosted a two-day conference at the Aga Khan Centre and online, bringing together scholars and researchers to explore Afghanistan’s enduring cultural and intellectual legacy. Through the themes of continuity, resilience, and transformation, the conference examined how Afghanistan’s diverse traditions and identities have persisted and evolved across time, offering new insights into the country’s historical and contemporary narratives.
Keynote Address by Nancy Lindisfarne
Afghanistan: Remembering the Past and the Reality of Climate Change Today
Keynote Address, Day 1
Afghanistan: Remembering the Past and the Reality of Climate Change Today
Nancy Lindisfarne
In this keynote address, Dr Nancy Lindisfarne reflects on her anthropological fieldwork in northwestern Afghanistan between 1968 and 1972. She explores how communities cooperated and the role of class divisions in shaping social dynamics. Her talk concludes with a powerful consideration of the immense challenges Afghanistan faces today due to climate change.
Explore panels and watch sessions
Moderator: Rabia Latif Khan
- Afghan Diaspora in France and the Question of the Maintenance of Cultural Identity
Abdul-Hakim Hamidi, INALCO, Paris - In Perennial Search for Home: A Study of Afghan Refugees in India
Mahima Chouhan and Ruchi Sharma, Jawaharlal Nehru University - Poetics and Politics of Place-Making: Boundaries of Self and Other in Golshahr
Azadeh Sobout, Queen’s University Belfast - Other’s Stories: A Photographic Journey of Afghan Women and Diaspora Life
Helia Hamedani, Independent Researcher
Moderator: Abdul-Hakim Hamidi
- Surviving the Crisis: A Socioeconomic Assessment of the Middle Class in Kabul
Lutfi Rahimi and Omar Joya, Biruni Institute - Beyond the Headlines: Understanding Afghanistan through its Visual Culture and History
Parwana Haydar, AVAH - Preserving Cultural Identities through Civil Activism: The Case of the Hazara Diasporic Communities
Arif Sahar, University of Sheffield Hallam - Digital Inclusion and Technological Innovations in the Transformation of Traditional Cultural Practices in Afghanistan: Pathologies and Strategies
Murtaza Mohiqi, University of Agder, Norway, and Marzie Moheqqi, Independent Researcher
Moderator: Hakim Elnazarov
- Afghanistan’s Buddhist heritage: Between Vulnerability and Relevance
Jolyon Leslie, Afghan Cultural Heritage Consulting Organisation - The Evolution of Minarets in Muslim Medieval History: A Case Study of Minaret of Jam
Mehrullah Hussaini, Religious Education Teacher - From Panjtani to Shiʿa Imami Ismaʿili Muslims: Revisiting the Relationship between Afghanistan’s Ismaʿili Communities and the Ismaʿili Imamate
Murid Shah Nadiri, University of Oxford - The Lost Goddesses: A Study of Feminine Statues from Ancient Balkh
Leila Mousavi, Independent artist - Displacement and Cultural Continuity in a Changing Climate
Narjes Zivdar, UN development and humanitarian practitioner and researcher
