Historical & Cultural Context THE KITE RUNNER

The story tracks the life of the narrator, Amir. The story takes place in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United States from 1963 to SETTING:

Amir: Narrator, Pashtun, only child, mother passed away Hassan: Hazara, only child, mother ran away, father Ali is servant to Amir’s father Baba: Amir’s dad, Pashtun, well-off, educated, distant from Amir Ali: Hassan’s dad, Hazara, servant to Amir’s father Rahim Khan: Baba’s friend, Amir looks up to him CHARACTERS:

1978: ▪General Daud (who took over and created a republic in 1973) is overthrown. ▪The People’s Democratic Party takes over (coup d’etat) ▪Conservative and ethnic leaders start and armed revolt in the countryside Civil unrest continues with US and Soviet Union support 1991: US and the USSR finally end aid to both sides ▪Guerilla fighters triumph and fighting continues as groups struggle for power. 1994: Taliban take control over many major cities, in control until November 2001 Today, Afghanistan is ruled by President Ashraf Ghani AFGHANISTAN

Include regulations on the appearance and behavior of both men and women. ▪Rules include that non-Muslim citizens must wear a yellow cloth to identify themselves. ▪No television, music, movies, dancing, gambling, or internet usage. ▪No burying of bodies killed by Taliban. They are “examples.” Amputation of limbs, public beatings, stonings, hangings, and other executions are consequences for breaking rules. Additionally, bodies of the executed are displayed on cranes to warn others. TALIBAN RULE

The oppressive views and practices of the Taliban are not representative of popular Afghan culture. ▪They are considered a form of fundamentalism- strict adherence to religious law. The Taliban did not have control over all of Afghanistan. Many citizens fought back and kept the Taliban from overtaking their towns/cities. IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER

Mini-states are under local powers that should report to a central government. ▪Because of the lack of a central power, the local leaders control many of the resources and are “unchecked” by any authority. Warlords and fundamentalists gain power easily with a weaker central government. ▪After 9/11, warlordism re-emerged. CHALLENGES in AFGHANISTAN TO OVERTHROW TALIBAN

Kabul gets the most help, while smaller/more rural provinces do not. ▪Regionalism is sure to remain. Most of the population has no access to housing, electricity, clean water, medical care, jobs, etc. On top of this, the different ethnic groups are structured in a way where smaller groups have less of a say than larger groups. CHALLENGES

Ethnic hierarchy within Afghanistan created imbalances in wealth, influence and education within its society. Pashtuns have dominated the country because they are the presumed majority of the population. As a result, many of the other ethnic groups have not had a strong voice within the society. (Amir) The ethnic groups do not form a concrete caste system like India. But, the society does have a firm hierarchy which dominates the inter-ethnic interactions and relations. ETHNIC GROUPS IN AFGHANISTAN