Defining Place and People in Afghanistan

Abstract

A geographer specializing in the human geography of South and Central Asia's mountainous regions explores the highly variable territorial and human content of Afghanistan, seen through its formation in the 19th and 20th centuries and shifting notions of a frontier between Central and South Asia. Considerable attention is focused on ethnic groups, as popular definitions of Afghanistan's ethnic groups and their spatial organization reflect biased Western notions of ethnicity. The geographical unit of place in Afghanistan, manteqa, is explored for its role in organizing rural society. Attempts at reconstruction should focus on traditional migration destinations from mountainous to plains areas. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: H10,100,053. 80 references.