CASI RESEARCH SEMINAR: The Little Pamir Extended: from the Tip of Afghanistan to a More Interconnected World

November 9, 2016

SPEAKER: Tobias Marschall, PhD Candidate, University of Tuebingen, Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology

Abstract: Afghan Kyrgyz are situated at a unique crossroads in the Pamirian knot. Both on the periphery of contemporary religious, cultural and political domains as well as on the pathways of ancient trading routes, their particular location opens a variety of complex exchanges. Afghan Kyrgyz have negotiated this ever-changing and difficult geopolitical settings. In adapting a high-risk, high-reward pastoral existence necessary for survival, they have constantly reconfigured their relationship with dominant powers. Their resilience in the face of constant external change can be attributed to their extensive knowledge of the Pamirs' environment, the subtle deployment of regional networks, and the shifting use of existing pathways for local, regional and international trade.

Building upon two journeys in the Afghan Pamirs (summers 2015, 2016) and longer stays in the region, present talk aims to discuss common ideas that run about Afghan Kyrgyz livelihoods by contrasting these with the researcher's own experience.

Bio: Tobias Marschall is carrying out anthropological fieldwork in the Pamirs. He currently works as a research associate within the ERC-funded research project *Remoteness & Connectivity: Highland Asia in the World* based at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany (highlandasia.net). His ongoing PhD thesis will tap on mobility issues, grounding on Afghan Kyrgyz coping strategies and exchange networks.

<< go to news list