Genealogy of the State in the Amanullah Era Based on Foucault's Theory of Genealogy (1919–1929)

Abstract

Background: This study examines the genealogy and nature of the state during Afghanistan's Amanullah era (1919–1929) through the theoretical framework of Michel Foucault's genealogy.
Aims: The central research problem is to explain how the genealogy of the Amanullah state can be identified and analyzed on the basis of its tribal, legal, and political policymaking patterns. The research hypothesis posits that the Amanullah state can be understood as a composite model combining Foucault's concept of 'pastoral power' and a 'quasi-modern absolutist state' one that, within the context of a traditional and tribal society, sought to impose order, centralize power, and control the population.
Methods: The research employs a descriptive analytical method, with data gathered through examination of historical documents, legal regulations (nizamnamahs), and conceptual analysis of the period's policies.
Results: Findings demonstrate that the logic of 'pastoral power' particularly in its supervisory, interventionist, and directive dimensions corresponds most closely to the functions of the Amanullah state. By utilising legal instruments, educational reforms, and centralising policies, this state sought to redefine power relations and transition from tribal order to a state-centred order. Nevertheless, while certain structural similarities between the Amanullah state and European absolutist states are observable, these parallels are largely formal; from a genealogical standpoint, the Amanullah state traversed a distinct and indigenous path.
Conclusion: Accordingly, the Amanullah state may be analysed as a transitional form between traditional tribal order and the modern state one in which pastoral logic was reproduced in a secular and incomplete guise and encountered serious limitations when confronting traditional structures.