The Hawallah Network: Culture and Economic Development in Afghanistan‪.‬

Introduction Although Afghanistan played a central role in the development of many ancient civilizations, in recent years it has become marginalized in world affairs because of the Afghan government's inability, or, perhaps, lack of desire to participate in the global economy. Since globalization poses many threats to Afghanistan's traditional society, its people and culture have remained resistant to change, a condition often referred to as "counter-globalization." This condition, however, should not be employed to explain Afghanistan's response to globalization. Indeed, some theorists have been critical of how culture has been misinterpreted in the context of globalization. John Tomlinson, for example, argues that the label of "counter-global" is unfair because it groups together those who act against change with those who avoid it. Furthermore, this label is based on an analysis of indigenous Third World cultures by critics who often hail from cultural backgrounds quite divergent from those that they critique. (1)