As I have mentioned in previous, I believe that one of the best aspects of the self-directed language courses is that you not only expose yourself to a language but also to the culture and people that speak it. Admittedly, being the son of two Afghans, I already had exposure to Afghan culture and the Dari language well before I stared taking the self-directed Dari course. However, that is not to say that this last semester was not a learning experience, in fact it was a tremendous one. Working with my language partner Mirwais, who is in his mid-20s and came to teach Dari at Richmond--from Afghanistan--as a Fulbright Scholar, offered me perspective on the current state of Afghanistan. Unlike the media, Mirwais was able to offer an unfiltered view of life in Afghanistan and where the nation stands today.
In addition, I learned a lot more about Afghan culture and society through my own research; my cultural project was especially informative in this regard. For my cultural project, I delved into the topics of Islam, extremism and modernism in Afghanistan. I gained a lot of insight into how Islam grew as a religion in Afghanistan--which took much longer than I would have guessed--and how it has shaped the nation. I also developed an understanding for the contrast between rural and urban parts of Afghanistan; this contrast was evident in modernism and religion. From 1940s to early 70s, Afghanistan was a relatively modern nation and views on Islam were not as strict as they are today. On the other hand, much of Afghanistan's modernism was found in urban areas, as opposed to rural regions.
This semester, I also examined how Afghanistan moved away from its modern culture. Ultimately, I concluded that war coupled with extremism is what pushed the nation off the bright path it was on during its era of modernity. From the Soviet invasion to multiple, consecutive civil wars, the turmoil-filled situation in Afghanistan allowed the Taliban, an extremist insurgent group, come to power. The Taliban emphasized a strict adherence to Islam and Sharia law that was never present in Afghanistan, and also denounced by Muslim scholars across the world. Unfortunately, the Taliban's terror tactics allowed the group to have a presence that still resonates in Afghanistan today.
Truthfully, I learned a lot more about Afghan culture and its history during the past several months. I am now better able to understand why Afghan culture is the way it is today and how it has deviated from its past.
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