Book Description

The book is a modern take on the subject of the tribes and other socio-ethnic groups that inhabit Pakistan within the wider academic framework in the field of social sciences. While there has already been work carried out on the Pashtun and Afghan tribal territories and peoples, this text describes in detail the tribal societies of the whole of Pakistan–their origins, history, social profile and administrative structure. It also discusses these issues within the context of the areas’ geostrategic significance, historical processes, social ideology and institutional structure. The narrative promotes an understanding of the disruptive effects of external and internal factors and the distortions caused in these societies by the introduction of institutional, legal, political and social reforms which failed to take into account their deep-seated cultural sensitivities. It utilizes a wide variety of sources—both modern and old–to present a concise work on an extremely complex and detailed topic dealing with caste, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and tribal enmities and affinities. The book contains maps of the areas along with brief geo-specific descriptions to acquaint the reader with the terrain and topography of the region, which play an important role in the lives of these societies.