
As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, Menrva Books earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Pathans of the Latter Day is a sequel to the author's The Way of the Pathans written more than forty years ago and frequently cited in literature on Pakistan's north-west frontier since. It is a self-contained volume based on return visits to the Frontier in the 1980s and 1990s.A combination of history, personal experience, and interpretation, Pathans of the Latter Day details the origins and structure of the volatile tribesmen living along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, their highly developed code of law, Pukhtunwali, their acceptance of Pakistan, their relations with their Chinese neighbours, and their experiences during the wars in Afghanistan.A quietly humorous anecdotal style provides vivid glimpses of life among today's modernized Pathans, as well as among traditional tribesmen of the Afridi, Wazir, Mahsud, Yusufzai, Mohmand, and Khattak clans.
This work investigates the evolution of Pathan tribal society in Pakistan's north-west frontier region amidst the geopolitical shifts of the late twentieth century. James W. Spain, a diplomat with extensive experience in the region, utilizes a combination of historical analysis, personal observation, and field research conducted during the 1980s and 1990s. The book argues that despite modernization and the pressures of regional conflict, the fundamental structures of Pathan identity and the Pukhtunwali code remain resilient and central to the tribesmen's way of life.
What You Will Find
Experts recognize this volume as a significant follow-up to Spain's earlier foundational research on the region. Readers frequently note the accessible, anecdotal prose style that balances scholarly observation with personal narrative.
Page Count:
176
Publication Date:
1997-06-26
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0195775767
ISBN-13:
9780195775761
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!