Pashtun Social Structure: Cultural Perceptions and Segmentary Lineage Organization

Abstract

The Pashtun are an ethnic group that straddles the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and are the largest group in Afghanistan. Pashtun social structure is what anthropologists term a segmentary lineage system. In such a system, there is a hierarchy of social groupings starting at the local level, then proceeding upward through various levels to an entire ethnic group. These relationships are based on kinship and shared culture. Segmentary lineage organization presents outsiders with both opportunities and challenges. It is highly important to understand this in such areas as economic development, Taliban force composition, negotiation, and the establishment of friendships and alliances. The report discusses these topics in some detail. The Pashtun on the one hand, and Western interveners on the other, are likely to have fundamentally different understandings in these and other areas, including conceptualization of time and events.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 03, 2011
Accession Number
ADA553265

Entities

People

  • Donald G. Macgregor
  • Joseph A. Tainter

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Afghanistan
  • Alliances
  • Anthropology
  • Economic Development
  • Economic Systems
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Families (Human)
  • Governments
  • International Security
  • Money
  • Negotiations
  • Organizational Structure
  • Perception
  • Political Systems
  • Security
  • Societies
  • Terrorism

Readers

  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design