11/30/2020: Human Security and Agency with author Nilofar Sakhi

Join us for the latest edition of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies‘ series, New Books in Asian Studies. We will host Nilofar Sakhi, Professorial Lecturer of International Affairs at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, for the launch of her book Human Security and Agency: Reframing Productive Power in Afghanistan. Benjamin D. Hopkins, Director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, will serve as moderator for this lively discussion.

Published by Rowman and Littlefield, Human Security and Agency investigates how human security manifests itself in the context of Afghanistan and explores the factors that promote and impede its development. To that end, scholar and policy practitioner Nilofar Sakhi examines whether the development of productive power is an effective approach to human security implementation in a country that has experienced numerous development programs, which were designed and implemented to build communities and protect their security.

The objective of this book is to move beyond a simple exploration of the causal relationship between human security, structures, and agency and investigate the factors that either promote or impede the implementation of human security. It employs multiple methods of systematic inquiry and engages literature on the socioeconomic and political context in Afghanistan to understand the factors that influence the agency of production, creativity, and control that individuals possess. The combination of well-grounded empirical work and theoretical insights makes this book an invaluable introduction to the study of human security.

The event is organized by the Elliott School Book Launch Series and co-sponsored by the Sigur Center for Asian Studies.