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Afghanistan is a war-torn country in a vital geostrategic location - connecting the Middle East with Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Since the 1970s Afghanistan has experienced a number of invasions and conflicts producing chaos and turmoil in daily life. And yet, remarkably, its cultural forms and values have managed to survive the onslaught. Today, Afghanistan's rich music scene combines the sounds of military anthems, energetic pop music and deeply devotional Sufi chants performed in different places for different occasions in a number of languages - Dari, Pashto, Hazara, Uzbek and Turkmen. This book studies the impact of war and conflict on popular culture in Afghanistan and examines the key roles of both Islam and gender in defining the music and folklore of Central Asia. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in the society and culture of modern Afghanistan and other turbulent environments.