Buzkashi: Game and Power in Afghanistan (2nd Edition) (Symbol and Culture)

Buzkashi: Game and Power in Afghanistan is not only the first full-scale anthropological examination of a single sport, but also a beautifully written case study about a place and a people that have been largely ignored in the social science literature. Buzkashi, perhaps the wildest game in the world and a vivid feature of Afghan life, entails the aggressive struggle of hundreds of horsemen over a mutilated calf carcass. Shortly after the first appearance of Azoy¿s book, the world press came to use the actual play of buzkashi in print as a metaphor for Afghan politics. Azoy¿s incisive analysis of Afghan political dynamics demonstrates how play and politics, ordinarily perceived as separate activities, can interpenetrate one another. Sadly but truly, buzkashi continues to prove itself to be an apt metaphor for ongoing Afghan political control and chaos. The Waveland edition includes two new chapters: ¿For Real (1978¿2002),¿ which describes buzkashi as played over the past twenty years in new places by new people, and a chapter serving as a personal tribute to the author¿s friend and field informant.G. Whitney Azoy is the author of 'Buzkashi: Game and Power in Afghanistan (2nd Edition) (Symbol and Culture)' with ISBN 9781577662389 and ISBN 1577662385.