Page 573

REVISTA IEEE 5

573 Juan Ignacio Castien Maestro Modernisation and regression in Afghanistan... civilisation has been the intense contrast between the aridity and impenetrability of certain areas, such as the mountains and deserts, and the fertility and accessibility of others. This geographical division has served throughout history as the basis for a marked division between social systems. While some areas were dominated by nomadism and subsistence agriculture, bound almost always to tribal systems and a relatively egalitarianism, in others more productive agriculture, sophisticated urban life, well-developed state organisation and marked social hierarchies prevailed. The relationship between these two social systems was very complex. Often the dwellers of the tribal areas plundered and conquered cities and their lands, and were a clear obstacle to development. But in other cases, these peoples provided markets for products from cities and valuable military contingents, thanks to the superior combat training of the tribal populations. Sometimes these mercenary forces ended up taking power and founding new dynasties. The tribal regions were also those that connected the different urbanised and statified regions to each other, and it was through these zones that profitable long-distance trade flowed – often providing excellent resources for sustaining urban and state structures, as was the case with the war spoils obtained during military expeditions. Tribal peoples were also often involved in these trade flows, whether as highwaymen, protectors or caravaneers.1 The cornerstone of this tribal organisation was patrilineal filiation. Members of the same paternal lineage were expected to work together and show solidarity towards each other, both at work and at war. In this way, the lineage unit was often also a corporate unit. Likewise these filiation ties were closely linked to those based on marriage alliances, as cooperative ties could also be established with the patrilineal lines of the wives and mothers. Nevertheless, the connection between lineage units and cooperatives was never absolute. At times there may have been no cooperation with relatives for whatever reason, and in the same way it may have been more beneficial to work together with people who had no alliance or filiation ties. In these cases, the family tree was usually manipulated so as to adjust it to the situation on the ground, or the non-family member would be integrated into the family through arranged marriages. Furthermore, the lineage units could differ as regards their reach and internal density. They could be far reaching or narrow, i.e. they could include individuals who were further removed from or closer to patrilineal ties depending on how distant their common ancestors were. This criterion allowed for the distinction between narrower 1  AMIN, S. El desarrollo desigual, Barcelona, Planeta-Agostini, 1986. Pp. 27-39. Castien Maestro, 2013: CASTIEN MAESTRO, J. “El difícil camino hacia la modernización”, Murcia, Sociología Histórica. Revista de investigación acerca de la dimensión histórica de los fenómenos sociales, Nº 1, 2013. pp. 169-171. http://revista.ieee.es/index.php/ieee


REVISTA IEEE 5
To see the actual publication please follow the link above