{"product_id":"waiting-for-dignity-9780231200493","title":"Waiting for Dignity","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFlorian 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWeigand’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\u003cbr\u003eNumberless 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 \u003ci\u003eWaiting for Dignity\u003c\/i\u003e, 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 \u003ci\u003eThe Real Politics of the Horn of Africa: Money, War, and the Business of Power\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis 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 \u003ci\u003eInside Afghanistan: Political Networks, Informal Order, and State Disruption\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWeigand 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 \u003ci\u003eInformal Order and the State in Afghanistan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA 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, \u003ci\u003eWaiting for Dignity \u003c\/i\u003eis 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 \u003ci\u003eNegotiating Survival: Civilian-Insurgent Relations in Afghanistan\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis 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 *\u003cbr\u003eWritten in accessible language, the book presents a theoretically sophisticated argument that invites readers to rethink the foundations of the modern state. * Choice *\u003cbr\u003eThis book is a rich and layered examination of what a legitimate authority might mean to the people of Afghanistan. * South Asia *\u003cbr\u003eA perceptive and stimulating analysis that illuminates the mechanisms of control and authority within a society plagued by ongoing political turmoil and conflict. * E-IR *\u003cbr\u003eA wonderful and entertaining read, which offers important insights into the nature of authority and legitimacy in (post-) conflict states. * International Affairs *\u003cbr\u003eEssential 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 *\u003cbr\u003eI would recommend \u003ci\u003eWaiting for Dignity\u003c\/i\u003e 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 *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e1. Conflict-Torn Spaces and Legitimacy\u003cbr\u003e2. The State\u003cbr\u003e3. Strongmen and Warlords\u003cbr\u003e4. The Taliban\u003cbr\u003e5. Community Authorities\u003cbr\u003e6. Waiting for Dignity\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eBibliography\u003cbr\u003eIndex","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48864262193495,"sku":"9780231200493","price":23.75,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780231200493.jpg?v=1722271128","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/waiting-for-dignity-9780231200493","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}