AFPRO Research Project

Sources:
www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
rukhshana.com/en/afghan-wo...
www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
ishr.ch/campaigns/ac...

Afghan women continue to resist Taliban restrictions, for example, in international organizations. Check out these recent examples.

Photo: Suliman Sallehi

Flights in Afghanistan grounded after internet shutdown The Taliban have yet to give an official reason for the shutdown, but said it would last indefinitely.

Yesterday, the Taliban cut off the internet in Afghanistan. For now, mobile internet & Starlink are functioning, but the impact on flight operations, banking, education & health services is already severe and causing dismay among many Afghans.

#contentiousky

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Taliban orders ban on internet in northern Afghanistan ‘to prevent immoral activities’ | CNN The Taliban administration on Wednesday announced an internet ban across a swathe of northern Afghanistan, “to prevent immoral activities,” provincial government statements said.

For the first time since taking over Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have ordered an internet ban in parts of the country. The ban is justified with preventing 'immoral activities' such as pornography.

#afghanistan

edition.cnn.com/2025/09/17/m...

Earthquake in Afghanistan Leaves More Than 800 Dead

A devastating earthquake has killed more than 800 people in Afghanistan, making the country’s already dire humanitarian situation even worse.

Governments should prioritize sending humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to help alleviate the crisis.

From 12-16 July 2025 our team attended the 28th World Congress of Political Science @ipsa.org in Seoul and presented our project and research there. Thank you for the comments and interesting discussions!

#contentiousky
#afghanistan

This morning, we presented our project @ipsa.org in Seoul. Thank you for attending!

Our team is at @ipsa.org conference in Seoul this week and presenting on protests during insurgencies, Afghan youth and the success and failure of autocratization

#contentiousky
#afghanistan

In Afghanistan, a woman has been protesting against the Taliban due to job loss. To Taliban members threatening to shoot her she said: "Shoot! A bullet is better than dying of hunger, a bullet is better than begging!"

x.com/QaderiHomeir...

The Taliban government has issued a new policy on talk shows requiring prior approval of topics and guests.

x.com/LNajafizada/...

ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders for persecuting women and girls The Taliban's supreme leader and chief justice are accused by the Hague-based judges of gender persecution.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Taliban leaders for their treatment of women and girls.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Iranian and Afghan activists are protesting the Iranian government‘s treatment of Afghan migrants since start of the war with Israel in an open letter. In the past week, Iran has increasingly arrested Afghans and ordered them to leave the country.

#contentiousky

iranwire.com/en/news/1429...

Russland erkennt Taliban-Regierung in Kabul an: Botschafter akkreditiert Russland hat als erstes Land die Taliban-Regierung in Afghanistan anerkannt und die Akkreditierung eines neuen Botschafters akzeptiert.

Russia has officially recognised the Afghan Taliban government. No other state has done so before.

www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/russ...

Ich habe für die @zeit.de ein paar Gedanken aufgeschrieben. Die militärischen und sicherheitspolitischen Auswirkungen des Krieges muss man separat von den innenpolitischen Konsequenzen für den Iran bewerten - denn diese sind fatal.

The photo shows Dr. Simon Teune sitting at a table and explaining a graph titled "Content Analysis as a Method" on the screen behind him.

How does one build a database on protest activities from news reports?

Last Friday, @simonteune.bsky.social gave us a workshop on Protest Event Analysis based on his experience in the PRODAT project. We discussed the challenges of this methodology and how to adapt it to the case of Afghanistan.

We are pleased to invite you to an introductory session on Protest Event Analysis (PEA) with Dr. Simon Teune on April 4, 2025. The workshop is aimed at PhD and Master's students working on protest movements and looking to engage with PEA as a method and hosted by the AFPRO Project. The workshop will introduce its key concepts, methodological toolsets, challenges of PEA and its application in practice to researchers seeking to decide on methods for the research. 📅 Date: April 4, 2025 ⏰ Time: 12:00 – 14:00 hrs 📍 Venue: Seminarraum 003, Ketzerbach 11 💬 Q&A and discussion to follow Please register by sending a mail to afpro@staff.uni-marburg.de Looking forward to seeing you there!

Join us for an introductory session on Protest Event Analysis (PEA) with @simonteune.bsky.social!

📅 Date: April 4, 2025
⏰ Time: 12:00 – 14:00 hrs
📍 Venue: Seminarraum 003, Ketzerbach 11, Marburg
💬 Q&A and discussion to follow

Please register by sending an email to afpro@staff.uni-marburg.de

We are excited to welcome our new research fellow in the AFPRO Project at the Center for Conflict Studies!

Malaiz Daud will continue to study collective action in Afghanistan from 2016 to 2026.

More about Malaiz's work: uni-marburg.de/wjvg61

We are excited to welcome our new research fellow in the AFPRO Project at the Center for Conflict Studies!

Abdullah Ammar's current research at the ZfK focuses on state-controlled protests and the role of civil society in post-conflict transitions.

More about Abdullah's work: lnkd.in/earRK58v

Last week, our AFPRO team attended @isanet.bsky.social in Chicago to present our project there and exchange with the global conflict research community.

Very interesting thoughts!

📢CALL FOR PAPERS: Diversität der Landwirtschaftsproteste in Deutschland

Themenheft des Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen
Gast-Herausgeber*innen: Janna Luisa Pieper und Felix Anderl

Abstract Deadline: 31.01.2025
Mehr Infos: lnkd.in/eeJU5kBn

Photo by Qasim Mirzaie on Pexels

In the background, there is the skyline of Kabul with mountains and trees. In the foreground, it is written: "Part 2: Protests in government-controlled areas

The background is the same as in the previous photo. In the foreground, it is written: "The second part of our project examines protests in areas controlled by the government before 2021. The government relied on international support which could sometimes make big public protests effective."

The background is the same as in the previous photo. In the foreground, it is written: "After 2021, the protesters had to address their demands to the new Taliban government. What approach did the Taliban take towards these protesters? Did they make concessions to gain new supporters? Or were they afraid of continued loyalties to the old government?"

How did the new Taliban government deal with protests in areas previously controlled by the internationally recognised government? Did they make concessions in these areas to win over constituents? Or did they remain wary of possibly continuing loyalties to the old government?
#contentiousky

In the background, there's a photo of a hilly Afghan landscape with trees. In the foreground is written: "Part 1: Protests in rebel-controlled areas"

In the background, there is the same photo as on the previous slide. In the foreground is written: "One half of our project examines protests in areas controlled by the Taliban before 2021. The rebels relied on support from the population and, therefore, had incentives for concessions. However, they only controlled a small area limiting their influence.

In the background, there's the same photo as on the previous slides. In the foreground is written: "How did the opportunity structure for protests change after the Taliban takeover in 2021? Did the protesters in previously Taliban-controlled areas benefit from their ties to the new Taliban government? Or did the new Taliban government no longer need the support from the population and become more repressive?

Did protesters in previous rebel strongholds benefit from their ties to the Taliban after 2021? Or did the Taliban government adopt a repressive response to protests after 2021 because it no longer relied on support from the population?

#contentiousky

Photo by Haroon Safi on Pexels

Interesting research!

Photo by Lara Jameson on Pexels

In the background, there is a map of West Asia. In the foreground, a question is written: What are we researching in the AFPRO project?

Same background as the previous slide. Text in the foreground: From 2001 to 2021, international actors were active in Afghanistan fighting a war against the Taliban. During their insurgency, the Taliban relied on the support of local populations to govern the areas they controlled.

Same background as the previous slide. Text in the foreground: Different protests took place during that time. The opportunity structures differed in areas controlled by the Taliban and those controlled by the government. The Taliban relied on the support of the population to govern, the government needed the support of international actors.

Same background as on the previous slides. Text in the foreground: In 2021, the Taliban took control over Afghanistan leading to the sudden retreat of international troops. The former rebels have since been in charge of the state’s institutions. How has this affected the opportunity structures for protests in Afghanistan?

The Taliban's policies towards civil society have become more salient after taking control of the state. But how did they govern in provinces under their control even before 2021? What changed in 2021? And what does this have to do with protest movements in Afghanistan?
#contentiousky

Invitation to the next session of our Center Colloquium
📅 28.10.24
⏲️ 12.00h
🏟️ Ketzerbach 63, +2/0149
🔗https://uni-marburg.de/J7R14j