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Ground War: Soil, Supplements, and Suffering in Afghanistan
[journal article]
Abstract This paper considers the place of the earthen ground in modern and modernist Afghan history and its relation to contemporary violence. I undertake an analysis of the place of the ground in twentieth century developmental schemes; the relationship between synthetic fertilisers and explosive devices; ... view more
This paper considers the place of the earthen ground in modern and modernist Afghan history and its relation to contemporary violence. I undertake an analysis of the place of the ground in twentieth century developmental schemes; the relationship between synthetic fertilisers and explosive devices; and the resurgence of corporeal and social violence. By considering the role of agricultural practices - like the use of synthetic and nitrogenous fertilisers - and connecting these to the contemporary proliferation of military grade landmines and improvised explosive devices, I argue that the ground extends both conflict and corporeal destruction in unpredictable ways. Using the supplement as conceptual lens, I reveal how modern supplements introduced into the ground have become a source of the ground’s contamination and of dismembered bodies, which are themselves in need of prosthetic aid.... view less
Keywords
Afghanistan; land; war; violence
Classification
Area Development Planning, Regional Research
Ethnology, Cultural Anthropology, Ethnosociology
Free Keywords
bodily destruction; explosives; fertiliser; ground
Document language
German
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 201-218
Journal
EthnoScripts: Zeitschrift für aktuelle ethnologische Studien, 24 (2022) 1
Issue topic
The Fall of Kabul 2021: Backgrounds, Effects, Resonance / Der Fall Kabuls 2021: Hintergründe, Effekte, Resonanzen
ISSN
2199-7942
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed