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Updating Roman Jakobson’s ‘Poetic Function’ with Vector Semantics
Read more: Updating Roman Jakobson’s ‘Poetic Function’ with Vector SemanticsKurzynski discusses how poetry extends beyond sound and rhythm and taps into a deeper network of meanings.
Signaling Tensions: The Politics of Telegraphic Communication in Modern Afghanistan
How does the telegraph function as both a material invention and an object of desire?
Afghanistan’s ambiguous anniversary
On the third anniversary of the seizure of Kabul, Robert D. Crews asks how we make sense of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.
As Mīr Ways Khān slept: miraculous possibilities in Afghan history
What happens when we view supernatural happenings as a wellspring of historical possibilities, rather than as excess to be cut away?
The Demolition of Jeddah and the Relocation of a Neighbourhood in Turkey
Magnus Marsden explores the connection between built neighbourhoods and heritage.
Mine Games: Humanitarian Mine Action and The HALO Trust
by Angus Mitchell In January 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, undertook a trip to Angola on behalf of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Her mission: to highlight the plight of landmine victims. With an entourage of photographers, journalists,…
The Archaeology of Southwest Afghanistan: The Book that Took 50 Years to Write
by Mitchell Allen Bill outlined his vision for our book almost half a century ago as we sat at the foldup dinner table in a domed room of the compound of Hajji Nafaz Khan, ruler of the village Khwaja ‘Ali…
When Pashto Became Divine
by William E. B. Sherman O you mangled souls: fear the sigh of the dervish.It’s a sigh exhaled by passioned love for Godthat burns the mountains to ash like straw.…If you see with the eye of your heart,everywhere will you…
Folk Songs as Communication, Resistance, Lament, and Entertainment Among Women in Northeastern Afghanistan
By Wolayat Tabasum Niroo In the northeastern provinces of Afghanistan, talented women sing folk songs to entertain each other in female-only gatherings on happy occasions. The songs are accompanied by a diara or daff, a colorful frame drum made of…
Architectural Matrices: Uncovering the History of the Ghurid Dynasty
Via Discovery & Inspiration, a podcast from the National Humanities Center In this short podcast from the National Humanities Center, Alka Patel, author of Iran to India, introduces her work on the Ghurid Dynasty, and what she means when she…