Description
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.