This application includes a presentation which exposes the public to a 'typical' Afghan villager whom they are likely to encounter in eastern and southern Afghanistan. Although this villager is a fictional character, his life experiences are by no means unusual for his age group and this part of the country. The guiding principle behind the presentation is to offer a perspective, an explanation for the behavior of many Afghan villagers toward foreign military personnel and the Taliban. Rather than the top-down, 'big picture' history of modern Afghanistan, this presentation focuses on how an individual's life history can tell us many things about his people and the country he lives in.
The application includes a video accompanied with power point slides.
For more information, go to www.umt.edu/mansfield/dclcp/educational_materials/afghan_villager1.aspx or contact the Mansfield Center’s Defense Critical Language and Culture Program at (406) 243-3600.
Also check out our “Life as an Afghan Army Soldier” application.
The University of Montana’s Defense Critical Language and Culture program provides language and culture training to the US military and other US government personnel through a program funded by the Defense Language and National Security Education Program.