The American Institute of Afghanistan Studies (AIAS) is a private, non-profit organization run by scholars with the aim of promoting and encouraging the systematic study of the culture, society, land, languages, health, peoples and history of Afghanistan. It will be especially concerned with increasing the numbers of scholars in the United States who have expertise in, and understanding of Afghanistan, and to assist in the rebuilding of academic institutions and the advanced study of Afghanistan by Afghan scholars.
2008 Student Paper Prize Winners
This fall the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies held its second Student Paper Competition. Undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines were invited to submit scholarly works that focus on Afghan culture, society, land, languages, health, peoples and history. Submitted papers were judged based on the quality of scholarship, application of extant literature, and overall contribution to Afghanistan studies. The prizewinner received $750 award and the opportunity to have the paper posted on the AIAS Web site.
Best Paper (2008) - “The Political Economy of Customary Village Organizations in Rural Afghanistan.” Jennifer Brick, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Honorable Mention (2008) - "Qaum: Conceptualizing Potters in the Afghan Political Arena." Noah Coburn, Boston University.
Honorable Mention (2008) - "Negotiations in Performance: A Study of the Storytelling Performance of Two Adolescent Afghan Storytellers." Benjamin C. Gatling, The Ohio State University.
