Democratic Articulations of Cultural Identity: The Arts in Afghanistan

Abstract

The article “Democratic Articulations of Cultural Identity: The Arts in Afghanistan” discusses the hypothesis that artists can become protagonists of a new democratic culture through the possibility they have of creatively shaping the public sphere. Artists in post-war societies find themselves confronted with the experience of being marginalized, ridiculed and prosecuted. The artists’ creativity is one strategy they use in finding new ways of coping with unbearable situations. The paper concludes with an interpretation on how artists experience democracy as an area of conflict.