Grant Application Status

Welcome Mohammad

Applicant Information

First Name: Mohammad
Last Name: Shafaq
Phone: (347) 876-4088

General Questions

Academic Affiliation: I have no current academic affiliatio
Research Interests: Research Interests Mohammad Shafaq In my book "Afghan Tribal Political Rationality", using the approach of Mohammad Abed Al-Jaberi, I have used the three elements of tribe, spoils, and belief and have examined the nature of the political rationality that governs Afghan society. In the continuation, I am interested in taking a step further and discussing the "how" of the continuation of this rationality, factors of its reproduction, and examining the consequences of this political rationality in the field of political culture and its relationship to the underdevelopment of Afghanistan and examining the ways out of the trap of this tribal rationality. Reflecting on the underlying layers of political actions and examining the nature and elements, how tribal political rationality develops and persists in Afghan society, which is the basis of political culture and the guide of political actions and interactions of agents and even determines the mechanism for producing religious thought in this society, is a very vital area for political and social studies. Escaping the pervasive political and social crises and reaching the threshold of development in Afghanistan depends on delving into the factors that develop and persist in tribal political rationality and finding a way out of the trap of this rationality. To break out of the impasse between tradition and modernity and overcome the challenges of political development in Afghanistan, in addition to the need to examine the nature and elements of tribal political rationality in this society, it is also necessary to explore the factors that persist in this type of rationality. By examining and evaluating how the structure and the agent interact during Afghanistan's contemporary political history and how tribal political rationality persists, we can seek more appropriate solutions to escape the trap of this rationality and achieve development. Additionally, examining how social structures (cultural, economic, and political structures) interact is essential to uncovering the secret of the persistence of tribal political rationality, as well as the way out of it. Therefore, we need to examine a dual dialectic in Afghanistan: the dialectic of structure and agent, and the dialectic within structures.
Displacement: I was engaged in research and teaching at universities in Kabul, Afghanistan, for thirteen years. After the fall of the previous government in Afghanistan, I was forced to leave Afghanistan and now live in the United States. Due to my civic activities, writing articles and books that criticized extremism and the ideology of Talibanism and fundamentalism in Afghanistan and the Middle East, I could not continue my life in Afghanistan or neighboring countries. Even before the fall of the previous government in Afghanistan, I had been threatened by the Taliban for my articles and interviews in the Afghan media, and now my books and articles are on the Taliban’s list of prohibited items. In addition, our university (Avicenna University in Kabul) was at risk of terrorist attacks several times and we were informed by the security agencies of the previous government that we were at risk of serious threats.After the fall of the previous government and the Taliban's dominance, I was forced to leave Afghanistan with my family (my wife and three children) at great expense and hardship, and the rest of my family (my mother, brothers, and sister) also sought refuge in Italy.I have been in the United States for two years and now, I am like a fish out of water. So far, I have not been able to find an academic opportunity to continue my research and scientific activities. To meet the needs of my family, I was forced to work in a non-scientific way, and before that, I spent my entire life in a scientific and research environment, and the situation is now very painful and unbearable for me. Working to meet the needs of my family leaves little time to achieve my scientific and research aspirations. However, I did not stop researching and during the two years I was in the United States, I wrote several articles, one of which, two months ago, won first place out of more than a hundred articles at the International Kateb Conference (A Study of the Thoughts and Historiographical Method of Faiz Muhammad Kateb), and I have a certificate of appreciation for it.I had registered for your program last year also, but I was unsuccessful. I hope that I will not be deprived of the benefits of this program this year.
Research Theme:
Current CV:
Academic Writing Samples:

Your Application Status

Status: Application Received
Submited On: April 7, 2025
Notes: 

For more information, contact

Mimi Kirk (she, her, hers)
Program Manager, Global Academy
Middle East Studies Association
1957 E Street NW, Suite 401
Washington, DC 20052
520-333-2577, ext. 105
mimi@mesana.org

Welcome Mohammad

Applicant Information

First Name: Mohammad
Last Name: Shafaq
Phone: (347) 876-4088

General Questions

Academic Affiliation: I have no current academic affiliatio
Research Interests: Research Interests Mohammad Shafaq In my book "Afghan Tribal Political Rationality", using the approach of Mohammad Abed Al-Jaberi, I have used the three elements of tribe, spoils, and belief and have examined the nature of the political rationality that governs Afghan society. In the continuation, I am interested in taking a step further and discussing the "how" of the continuation of this rationality, factors of its reproduction, and examining the consequences of this political rationality in the field of political culture and its relationship to the underdevelopment of Afghanistan and examining the ways out of the trap of this tribal rationality. Reflecting on the underlying layers of political actions and examining the nature and elements, how tribal political rationality develops and persists in Afghan society, which is the basis of political culture and the guide of political actions and interactions of agents and even determines the mechanism for producing religious thought in this society, is a very vital area for political and social studies. Escaping the pervasive political and social crises and reaching the threshold of development in Afghanistan depends on delving into the factors that develop and persist in tribal political rationality and finding a way out of the trap of this rationality. To break out of the impasse between tradition and modernity and overcome the challenges of political development in Afghanistan, in addition to the need to examine the nature and elements of tribal political rationality in this society, it is also necessary to explore the factors that persist in this type of rationality. By examining and evaluating how the structure and the agent interact during Afghanistan's contemporary political history and how tribal political rationality persists, we can seek more appropriate solutions to escape the trap of this rationality and achieve development. Additionally, examining how social structures (cultural, economic, and political structures) interact is essential to uncovering the secret of the persistence of tribal political rationality, as well as the way out of it. Therefore, we need to examine a dual dialectic in Afghanistan: the dialectic of structure and agent, and the dialectic within structures.
Displacement: I was engaged in research and teaching at universities in Kabul, Afghanistan, for thirteen years. After the fall of the previous government in Afghanistan, I was forced to leave Afghanistan and now live in the United States. Due to my civic activities, writing articles and books that criticized extremism and the ideology of Talibanism and fundamentalism in Afghanistan and the Middle East, I could not continue my life in Afghanistan or neighboring countries. Even before the fall of the previous government in Afghanistan, I had been threatened by the Taliban for my articles and interviews in the Afghan media, and now my books and articles are on the Taliban’s list of prohibited items. In addition, our university (Avicenna University in Kabul) was at risk of terrorist attacks several times and we were informed by the security agencies of the previous government that we were at risk of serious threats.After the fall of the previous government and the Taliban's dominance, I was forced to leave Afghanistan with my family (my wife and three children) at great expense and hardship, and the rest of my family (my mother, brothers, and sister) also sought refuge in Italy.I have been in the United States for two years and now, I am like a fish out of water. So far, I have not been able to find an academic opportunity to continue my research and scientific activities. To meet the needs of my family, I was forced to work in a non-scientific way, and before that, I spent my entire life in a scientific and research environment, and the situation is now very painful and unbearable for me. Working to meet the needs of my family leaves little time to achieve my scientific and research aspirations. However, I did not stop researching and during the two years I was in the United States, I wrote several articles, one of which, two months ago, won first place out of more than a hundred articles at the International Kateb Conference (A Study of the Thoughts and Historiographical Method of Faiz Muhammad Kateb), and I have a certificate of appreciation for it.I had registered for your program last year also, but I was unsuccessful. I hope that I will not be deprived of the benefits of this program this year.
Research Theme:
Current CV:
Academic Writing Samples:

Your Application Status

Status: Application Received
Submited On: 2025-04-07 14:04:15
Notes: 

For more information, contact

Mimi Kirk (she, her, hers)
Program Manager, Global Academy
Middle East Studies Association
3700 O Street NW, ICC 241
Washington, DC 20057
520-333-2577, ext. 105
mimi@mesana.org

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