Index
Abdul (trader), 115
Abdullah (trader), , 249
Abu Bakr (trader), 243
accusations of spying
as aspect of fieldwork to be overcome, 44
futility of professing innocence, 46,
as humorous banter with traders,
Afghan Boundary Commission, 93
Afghan restaurants
benefits of meeting and engaging with traders in,
celebrating Nowruz in Yiwu,
Central Asian cuisine in Kabul restaurants,
creation of inter-Asian cuisine,
as diplomatic space, , 252
diverse forms of Afghan eateries,
everyday navigation of geopolitical processes and,
financial viability,
focus of anthropological scholarship on,
as front for illicit and criminal activities,
importance to long-distance inter-Asian trade, ,
perceptions of restaurateurs’ knowledge and power,
place in the geopolitical imagination of Afghanistan,
popularity with Saudi nationals,
role in cultural reproduction of Afghan networks,
role of in building relationships of trust, 32
role of in ensuring durability of trading networks, 242
as source of commercial information,
Afghan society, divisions, 48
Afghan traders
attitudes towards in Central Asia, 61
citizenship dilemmas of traders in Saudi Arabia,
concerns about the possibility of deportation, 155
defining political context of action and positioning, 15
diplomatic potential, 16
disadvantages of being born in Afghanistan, 149
ethno-linguistic background, 4
geopolitics and trading networks,
institution-building efforts,
languages spoken by, 74
models of trust, mistrust and entrustment,
navigational agency, ,
participation in geopolitical processes, 260
past roles within the Afghan state, 35
religious activities,
self-image,
understandings of Afghan identity,
Afghan trading networks, Islam’s complex role in,
Afghanistan
association with ultra-conservative forms of Islam, 162
Bolshevik persecution of wealthy families, 92
circulation of capital, commodities and people,
colonial and postcolonial political construction, 27
composition of non-Muslim trading communities, 164
coup d’état, 95
former Soviet-trained fighter pilots’ transport role,
historical perspective of intersections of trade and religion,
historical significance, 27
ninetieth ‘independence’ celebrations, 153
role in long-distance trade,
Soviet Union’s role in politics and economy of, 4
Afghanistan–Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA), 131
Africa, role of trading networks and nodes in economic development, 189
Ahmed, Shahab, 168
alternative geographies, concept of, 191
Amanullah Khan, King of Afghanistan, 154
Anglo-Afghan relations, history of, 41
anthropology, fieldwork requirements, 39
Appadurai, Arjun, 153
Arabs, Afghans’ view of, 141
Armenia, conflict with Azerbaijan, 36
Asia, study of intersections between kinship and international politics in, 19
Atiq (trader), 184
autochthonous nationalism, prevalence in Afghan political discourse, 162
Aziz (trader), 204
Baluch networks, 18
Bayly, Christopher, 12
Bayly, Susan, 20
Belt and Road Initiative, 15, 265
announcement of, 2
as example of state forging of interregional connectivity, 17
geopolitical significance, 259
growth in power, 6
increasing importance, 6
influence on livelihoods of informal traders operating in China’s mountainous borderlands, 190
launch, 124
‘Muslim culture’ in the context of, 80
potential future, 265
relationship with other state-centric strategies, 259
Bismillah (friend of Abdullah),
black economy, 16
boarding schools, consequences of upbringing of Afghan children in, 64
Bolivia, 130
bribes (rishwat), 237
lack of alternative to payment, 210
payment of to customs officials, 65
payments to Dushanbe police, 202
procurement of Turkish residency permits and, 107
sought by officials, 218
Britain, history of influence in Afghanistan,
Bukhara, , 88
early modern economic dynamics,
impact of incorporation into the Soviet Union, 94
transregional reach as centre for education, 168
Bukhari rice (ruz al-Bukhari), consumption in Afghan restaurants in Saudi Arabia,
Burton, Audrey, 93
capital, circulation of,
carpet trade
Afghan refugees’ involvement in, 86
Bukhariyya Street, 92
development role of ethnic Turkmen traders, 24
Pakistan, 224
Caspian Sea, 196
Central Asia, Bolshevik revolution and isolation of, 88
Central Asian commercial networks, dynamism of, 11
Central Asian émigrés
challenges of conducting business in Saudi Arabia,
citizenship and residency rights, 98
citizenship dilemmas,
commercial acumen, 93
culinary influence,
cultural adaptability, 256
family backgrounds, 92
‘gastro-diplomacy’, 248
historical background, 89
institutional life, , 118
national identity,
patterns of mobility,
relocation destinations,
cultural, religious and social concerns,
Kazakhstan,
Turkey,
UAE (United Arab Emirates),
restaurant businesses,
self-representations, 117
view of Turkish citizenship, 108
Chabahar, 24
China
‘corridors of connectivity’, 2
currency restrictions, 5
identity verification systems, 99
‘opening up’ policy, 3
policy towards Muslims of Uyghur and Kazakh ethnicity, 37
settled communities of traders, 10
traders’ institution-building efforts, 257
Xinjiang autonomous region, 3
see also Xinjiang.Chitral, Pakistan, 3
citizenship
access to in China,
access to in India, 177
access to in the UAE, 106
access to in Turkey,
relationship with security, 7
traders’ issues with,
Claassen, Rutger, 18
Clinton, Hillary, 2
Colombia, 130
commensality, definition, 222
commercial networks, ideological and cultural complexity of,
commercial nodes
displacement of ethno-religious trading minorities from, 24
diversity in the nature and function of, 255
family life, 152
fieldwork conducted in,
importance of Afghan nodes, 189
requirements for working in, 50
role of cultural activities, 153
significance, 255
understanding, 191
where Afghan traders operate, 1
conspiracy theories, 44
corridors of connectivity
along which traders operate, 2
West Asian corridor, 31,
see also West Asian corridor of connectivity.covid, 126
covid-19 pandemic, 126
credit networks, 191
crypto-colonialism, concept of, 42
cultural and religious diversity
Afghans’ interest in historic expressions of, 163
impact of long-term conflict and displacement on in Afghanistan,
modern Afghanistan,
role of in Eurasian connectivity,
cultural sensibility, traders and,
customs officials, payment of bribes (rishwat) to, 65
deportation
Afghan traders’ concerns about, 156
commonality of deportations to Afghanistan, 100
as consequence of non-payment of tax in Saudi Arabia, 102
undocumented Afghan labourers deported by Russian authorities, 71
undocumented Afghan migrants deported by Turkey, 114
Dheepak (trader), ,
diasporas
as transnational extensions of nation-states, 12
cultural identity maintenance role, 21
exploration of nation-states’ strategic use of, 14
Herat’s Jewish community, 163
legal conventions in formerly Soviet countries, 69
perception of Afghan migrant communities as, 28
self-depiction of Central Asian émigrés based in Turkey as, 115
trade network establishment role of diaspora organisations,
Dil Agha (trader), , , , 224
Dilmurad (stallholder), 245
Dostum, Rashid, 197
durability of trading networks
Afghan traders’ institution-building efforts and,
conferred by ability to switch between different fields of agency, 61
interpersonal relationships and, 60
management of underlying contingency and, 202
neighbourhoods and, 20
religion and, , 256
resources essential for understanding, 253
e-commerce, impact on trade in Yiwu, 126
education
importance for traders, 157
intersection of cultural background in, 140
Sikh and Hindu communities’ concerns, 172
transregional reach of Bukhara as a centre for, 168
Turkish provisions, 111
‘the English’, Afghan views on, 41
Erdoğan, Recep Tayyip, 112
Eurasian connectivity
circulation of capital, commodities and people,
differing conceptions of, 9
key principle of being a trader in the geopolitical interstices of, 18
significance of ethno-religious minorities to, 31
Eurasian corridor of connectivity
Afghan networks operating in former Soviet countries,
Armenian merchant community of New Julfa,
informal diplomacy,
protection of migrants,
role of religion in organisational activities of Afghans,
traders and cultural sensibility,
external ties, value for Afghan traders, 62
family members, benefits of geographic dispersal, 262
fieldwork
analysis of fieldwork practices,
benefits of practising in restaurants,
celebrating Nowruz in Yiwu,
interpersonal relationships and, ,
research visits conducted,
role of geopolitics in anthropological fieldwork,
trip from Mazar-e Sharif to Andkhuy,
flexibility, importance for traders, 14
food, Afghan dishes, 92
former pilots, role in long-distance transport,
former Soviet countries, traders’ institution-building, 257
former Soviet Union
Afghan traders’ interactions with politics, 62
backgrounds of Afghan traders in,
establishment of Afghan trading networks,
marriages of Afghan traders to local women, 117
former state officials, roles in the field of trade, 35
Friday prayers, 81, ,
fur trade, 94
Gardner, Andrew, 156
geographic dispersal of family members, benefits of the strategy, 262
geopolitics
Afghan restaurants and,
Afghan traders’ participation in geopolitical processes, 260
anthropology and, 9, ,
Belt and Road Initiative’s geopolitical significance, 259
informal diplomacy and,
northern Afghanistan’s geopolitical significance for Turkey and Russia, 200
restaurants and everyday navigation of geopolitical processes,
Soviet Union’s geopolitical influence in Eurasia, 259
trading networks and,
Germany, entrepreneur visa launched by, 157
giraw (financial instrument), practice of,
global currency markets, Afghan activity in, 73
Goody, Jack, 223
Green, Nile, 23,
Gulzad (trader), , , 37
Gwadar port, Pakistan, 24
Hajji Kabir (trader), 151
Hajji Karim (trader), 68
Hanifi, Shah Mahmoud, 165
Hekmatyar, Gulbuddin, 36
Herzfeld, Michael, 42
Hodgson, Marshall, 168
Ibañez-Tirado, Diana, 97
Ibrahimi, Niamattulah, 109
India
Bayly’s analysis of colonial ‘information order’, 12
connectivity with Central Asian states and China, 24
history of trading networks, 22
medicine trade and, 171
informal diplomacy
anthropology, geopolitics and,
in the Eurasian corridor,
traders’ skill, 9
value of informal diplomatic skills, 59
international boundaries, role of in traders’ livelihoods, 8
international interventions
post-2001 and continuing, 42
traders’ criticisms of the effects on their country, 43
interpersonal relationships
fieldwork and, ,
role of in maintaining trading networks,
interregional connectivity, role of the state, 17
Iran
labour migration from northern Afghanistan, 197
recruitment of Afghans to fight in Syrian conflict, 36
ishleki (Turkmen dish),
Islam
Afghanistan’s association with ultra-conservative forms of, 162
Chinese state suspicion, 144
distinct culture of ‘halal’ business and, 80
giraw practice and,
influence on Central Asia’s émigré traders, , 95
Islamic cosmopolitanism,
Muslim communities in China, 141
national identity and, 58
role in Afghan traders’ business activities,
role in the dynamics of trading networks,
stabilising role, 82
theoretical connection with neoliberalism, 58
see also Sufism.Islamic cosmopolitanism
concept of, 167
in Odessa,
relationship with Muslim majority settings today,
role of language, 168
Jeddah, fieldwork conducted in, 2
Kabul
‘Bush bazaar’, 193
Central Asian cuisine in Kabul restaurants,
challenges of running a business in,
debt collection in,
favours and friendship in,
fieldwork conducted in, 2
importance as node in long-distance trading networks, 252
insecurity, 195
Mandawi market,
Yiwu’s Afghan traders at home in,
Kalakani, Habibullah, 154
Karakul lamb fur trade, 196
Karzai, Hamid, 227
Kashgar,
Keqiao, 148
kidnapping of merchants for ransom, 195
King Faisal Research and Islamic Studies Centre, Riyadh, 91
Kwon, Heonik, 20
landmines, 199
Lapis Lazuli Corridor, Turkey, 196
Latin American traders, 130
Li, Darryl, 18
lingua francas, 11
London, fieldwork conducted in, 2
long-distance trading networks
anthropological perspectives, 13
cultural and ideological perspectives, 14
historical perspectives,
importance of flexibility, 14
traders’ self-reporting of their experience, 13
trust and mistrust in,
Lutfi, Ameem, 18
Machold, Rhys, 44
Mandawi market, Kabul,
markets/bazaars
Bingwan night market, Yiwu, 139
‘Bush bazaar’, Kabul, 193
Mandawi market, Kabul,
Saddar Bazaar, Karachi, 225
Marouda, Marina, 73
Massoud, Ahmad Shah, 154
‘methodological nationalism’, 25
migrants, protection of in the Eurasian corridor,
migration, between Afghanistan and former Soviet settings,
Mirziyoyev, Shavkat, 62
mistrust
concept of, 54
Humphrey’s formulation, 51
‘socially productive’ role in sociality, 34
see also practices of entrustment; trust.mobile citizenship, strategic and cultural dimensions, 98
mobile societies, Ho’s definition, 26
Mongolia, 25
monocentric networks, 60
Monsutti, Alessandro, 204
Moscow
Moscow Olympics (1980), 70
mosques
Chinese closure of, 144
dual role, 84
ethnolinguistic diversity and mosque attendance, 81
functional role of mosque attendance,
mosque attendance in Odessa, 81
mosque attendance in Yiwu, 141
multinodal networks, 62
Muslim societies, role of neighbourhoods, 20
Myanmar, 196
Nagorno-Karabakh, 36
Najibullah Ahmadzai,
Nasir (trader), 43,
national identity, traders’ predilection for secular forms, 58
nation-states, tendency for scholars to address regional dynamics through the lens of, 25
navigational agency
accomplishing, ,
Afghan traders in Eurasia,
Claassen’s model, 18
potential for Afghanistan to capitalise on, 59
Navoi, Ali Sher, 82
neighbourhoods
durability of trading networks and, 20
importance for Sikh and Hindu communities, 175
and kinship, 20
Sohrab Goth neighbourhood, Karachi, 90
see also Zeytinburnu neighbourhood, Istanbul.Nepal, 196
New Julfa, Nadir Shah’s invasion, 60
palaw, 215, 230, 244
cooking pot, 92
cultural and commercial significance, , 252
modified forms of, 245
Pashtun itinerant merchants, 4
Pelkmans, Mathijs, 44
Persian Gulf, new or redeveloped ports, 24
Persian language, transregional reach, 168
Picket, James, 168
pilgrimage visas, 86
pilots, role in long-distance transport of Soviet-trained fighter pilots,
place-making practices of traders in Yiwu, 123, 127,
Bingwan night market, 139
morally circumspect establishments, 137
religion and, 137
restaurants, , 137
shisha cafés,
significance of Tianhe and Fuyuan Towers,
Wu Ai neighbourhood, 139
politics, Afghan traders’ interactions with, 62
polycentric networks, 60
post-Soviet world, sites of ‘informal economy’, 1
practices of entrustment, 201
debt collection in Kabul,
favours and friendship in Kabul,
ontological assumptions about human behaviour and,
relationship with risk,
Yama and Dil Agha,
Pyatigorsk, 37
Rahman, Abdul (trader), , 88
Rauf Baig (moneylender), , ,
regional conflicts, past involvement of traders,
regional connectivity
alternative viewpoints,
emphasis of scholarly work on role of nation-states, 25
limitations of nation-state perspective, 29
religion
Afghan traders’ religious activities,
and durability of trading networks, , 256
Green’s ‘religious market’ theory, 58
long-distance Eurasian trade and religious plurality,
and place-making practices of traders in Yiwu, 137
role of religious specialists in inter-Asian trading networks, 250
see also cultural and religious diversity.restaurants
and place-making practices of traders, , 137
restaurant trade in UAE, 105
role of in cultural interpenetration of Asian societies, 252
Rui, Huaichuan, 124
Saddar Bazaar, Karachi, 225
Saudi Arabia
Afghan restaurants in, 225,
challenges of conducting business in,
citizenship dilemmas of traders in,
deportation as consequence of non-payment of tax in, 102
kafala system, 100
labour migration from northern Afghanistan, 197
national dish, 96
recruitment of Afghans to the Yemeni conflict, 36
relocation destinations of Central Asian émigrés,
restaurant trade, Afghan activity, 92
Saxer, Martin, 56
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, 25
sharing of food, role of in establishing and sustaining relationships,
Sharma (trader), 170
Sikh and Hindu communities
Afghanistan-based,
concerns over education of children, 172
cultural influence, 255
difficulties carrying out religious rituals, 172
from transnational merchants to religious minority,
impact of ISIS and Taliban activities, 171
impact of mujahidin and Taliban rule, 166
importance of neighbourhoods, 175
relationships with Muslim Afghan traders,
Dheepak in Odessa,
Odessa’s Seventh-Kilometre Market,
UK,
religious and political influences, 165
role in the extension of Afghan commercial networks, 256
role in the trade between South and Central Asia, 22
security threats towards,
Yiwu gatherings, 173
Silk Road, scholarship’s use of the concept, 2
social institutions
Afghan traders’ institution-building efforts,
Anderson’s conception, 112
Central Asian émigrés in Turkey, , 118
scholarship on, 21
Sufi lodges (tekkes), , 256
see also Sufism.Sohrab Goth neighbourhood, Karachi, 90
Sood, Gagan, 7
Soviet Union
creation, 94
education and training opportunities, 63
geopolitical influence in Eurasia, 259
long-term connections between Afghan state and, 160
Moscow Olympics, 70
role in politics and economy of Afghanistan, 4
Syria, role of Afghans in the conflict, 36
Tajikistan, difficulties for Afghan trader-refugees, 202
Taliban
and Afghanistan’s association with ultra-conservative forms of Islam, 162
Afghan traders informal diplomacy, 75
arrests by, 200
demands for monetary contributions, 195
political settlement between Afghan government and, 75
rise in levels of violence perpetrated by, 104
territory controlled by, 197
Taliban insurgency, 171
traders
citizenship issues,
diversification strategies, 20
forging of transnational routes and nodes of circulation, 9
importance of consular support from foreign states, 17
importance of flexibility, 14
sense of pride and professional accomplishment, 10
trading networks
comparative historical approach,
conditions for success, 18
cosmopolitanism in,
geopolitics and,
implications for the foreign policies of weaker countries, 59
implications of structural differences, 60
multidimensionality of networks, 56
overview of inter-Asian networks,
polycentric networks, multinodal vs mononodal, 60
role of in resilience against shocks, 57
role of neighbourhoods, 20
Saxer’s ‘pathway’ concept, 56
significance of historical processes, 255
structures, dynamics and geographies,
two especially significant types, 60
transport companies
Afghan traders’ arrangements with in former Soviet countries, 65
function, 35
importance of personal relationships with officials, 35
role of Afghanistan’s Soviet-trained fighter pilots,
trust
Afghan traders’ models of trust, mistrust and entrustment,
impact of boarding school upbringing on establishment of, 64
importance for network ties, 13
shared consumption of food and, 222
significance to family life in Afghanistan, 204
Turkey
Central Asian émigrés relocation to,
immigration policy, 114
institutional life, , 118
labour migration from northern Afghanistan, 197
Lapis Lazuli Corridor, 196
national identity and,
political activities, 109
political and cultural implications of Turkish citizenship,
as relocation destination, 160
UAE (United Arab Emirates)
Central Asian émigrés relocation to,
impact of tensions with Iran on Afghan traders, 37
Ukraine
attitudes of traders towards conflict with Russia,
clandestine migration of Afghans to the EU from, 78
community organisations,
decline in the value of currency, 67
mercenary background of some traders, 36
role of Afghans in the conflict, 36
traders’ relationships with the authorities,
see also Odessa.United Kingdom (UK)
fieldwork conducted in London, 2
United States (US)
distant neighbour role, 31
unregulated economy, 16
Uzbekistan, encouragement of Afghan merchants’ investment, 62
Van Schendel, Willem, 265
Venkatesh, Sudhir, 40
Vietnamese exchange agents,
violence, Afghan traders’ relationship with, 34
Vora, Neha, 97
‘War on Drugs’, 265
water, scarcity in north-western Afghanistan, 197
West Asia
traders’ institution-building efforts, 257
Turkey’s ‘look east’ policy and the concept of, 18
West Asian corridor of connectivity, 31, 86
citizenship and residency rights of traders, 98
citizenship dilemmas of traders in Saudi Arabia,
significance within the wider Eurasian arena,
the region and its connections,
the region and its inhabitants,
trading networks, comparative historical approach,
see also Central Asian émigrés.Western Europe, traders’ interest in securing residency in, 157
Xi Jinping, 2
Yama (trader), ,
Yemen, role of Afghans in the conflict, 36
Yiwu
Afghan restaurants,
Afghan traders’ religious activities,
Afghan trading community, 122
Afghan-Pakistan cross-border trade and,
celebrating Nowruz in,
challenges for family life of foreign traders, , 159
China’s accession to the WTO and, 161
co-existence of diverse trading networks, 123
commercial and geopolitical significance, 191
conceptions of the city,
consequences of traders’ inability to secure citizenship or long-term residency, 159
cultural life,
development as trading hub, 123,
development of Central Asian trade routes and, 131
different expectations of Yiwu’s status as an inter-Asian commercial node, 122
disadvantages for traders of being born in Afghanistan, 149
dispute resolution scheme, 40
distribution of ethno-religious networks, , 159
Eurasian geopolitical implications, 159
fieldwork conducted in, 2
freight train routes, 125
future of as a trading node for international networks, 125
global significance for trade of everyday commodities, 123
impact of e-commerce, 126
impermanence of life for international traders, 160
implications of Chinese residency and currency regulations for Afghan traders,
influence as site of sociological reproduction,
interactions with Central Asian émigré merchants in, 90
‘international trade reform pilot city’ status, 125
introduction of new visa policy, 159
leisure and tourism, 128
likelihood of Afghan traders to invest capital in,
location, 5
main international languages of trade and sociality, 130
marriages of Afghan traders to Chinese women, 156
Muslim communities, 141
places of worship, 141
as relocation target of Xinjiang-based traders, 261
role in Afghan trading networks, ,
schools, 141
significance as a commercial node, 255
social and intercultural mixing,
spatial organisation, , 159
surveillance of UK passport-holders, 226
temporal dynamics, 137
Tianhe and Fuyuan Towers, significance for the city’s Afghans,
trade and infrastructure,
Yiwu’s Afghan traders at home in Kabul,
Yusuf Aka (trader), 198
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