Description
Book SynopsisFlorian Weigand investigates legitimacy and its absence in Afghanistan. He shows that what matters in conflict zones is dignity: People judge authorities on the basis of their day-to-day experiences with them. This book offers timely new insights into recent developments in Afghanistan and the challenges facing conflict-torn areas more widely.
Trade ReviewWeigand’s terrific book on how authority has been built and lost in Afghanistan is also an invitation to return to deeper levels of analysis. It runs from rethinking what legitimacy means in today’s world to what we have lost in the last twenty or more years. His conclusions have wide relevance beyond Afghanistan, shedding light on conditions that affect both the powerful and the poor and often forgotten. -- Saskia Sassen, Columbia University
Numberless personal stories from countries under foreign occupation or despotic rule recount how an incident of personal humiliation triggers an individual’s decision to defy authority. In
Waiting for Dignity, Florian Weigand validates this insight with the best kind of social science, giving a voice to Afghans and interpreting what they have to say. Rather than testing a received hypothesis he has generated a fresh new understanding of the fundamental but elusive concept of political legitimacy. -- Alex de Waal, author of
The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa: Money, War, and the Business of PowerThis book is an important read about the failure of building a legitimate state after the 2001 military intervention in Afghanistan and why the Afghan Republic and its allies lost the battle for public support. Weigand’s key argument around perception of legitimacy for various stakeholders in different communities is informative and valuable to understand governance and violence in Afghanistan. -- Timor Sharan, author of
Inside Afghanistan: Political Networks, Informal Order, and State DisruptionWeigand joins a new generation of scholars who are rethinking the Weberian foundations of the modern state. Based on extensive fieldwork, this pathbreaking book looks at Afghanistan from the bottom up. By doing so, the book introduces us to a panoply of organizations and actors that shape legitimate governance in Afghanistan. -- Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, author of
Informal Order and the State in AfghanistanA well-argued and compellingly evidenced account of how legitimacy works in Afghanistan, this book challenges the rational legal perspectives that dominate policy and theory on this issue. Written in a fluid style,
Waiting for Dignity is rich in empirical material and offers a useful comparative perspective that will appeal to policymakers as well as the academic public. -- Ashley Jackson, author of
Negotiating Survival: Civilian-Insurgent Relations in AfghanistanThis is a highly valuable contribution, whether your main interest is in legitimacy in contexts of conflict generally, or in legitimacy and authority in Afghanistan specifically. * Journal of Peace Research *
Written in accessible language, the book presents a theoretically sophisticated argument that invites readers to rethink the foundations of the modern state. * Choice *
This book is a rich and layered examination of what a legitimate authority might mean to the people of Afghanistan. * South Asia *
A perceptive and stimulating analysis that illuminates the mechanisms of control and authority within a society plagued by ongoing political turmoil and conflict. * E-IR *
A wonderful and entertaining read, which offers important insights into the nature of authority and legitimacy in (post-) conflict states. * International Affairs *
Essential reading for researchers and policymakers seeking to understand the current dynamics in Afghanistan and to gain insights into the potential future outlook. * LSE Review of Books *
I would recommend
Waiting for Dignity to anyone interested in questions of state-building, political violence, or social order. It holds special value for those seeking to amplify local voices; it also encourages scholars to consider the enduring allure of the state. The book demonstrates the value of studying political meaning through a grounded approach, while simultaneously expanding on an important scholarly tradition that seeks to understand the formation and transformation of political authority. * Contemporary Sociology *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. Conflict-Torn Spaces and Legitimacy
2. The State
3. Strongmen and Warlords
4. The Taliban
5. Community Authorities
6. Waiting for Dignity
Notes
Bibliography
Index
