Georgetown University in Qatar Organizes Lecture to Explore Suicide Bombings in Afghanistan

Press release

Published October 18th, 2017 - 05:17 GMT

Prof. David Edwards will be talking about his latest book, 'Caravan of Martyrs: Sacrifice and Suicide Bombing in Afghanistan', in a public lecture on October 18.

Is it brainwashing and malevolence that drives ordinary people to become suicide bombers? Or are there more factors at play? Professor David B. Edwards will delve deeper into these questions at his upcoming public lecture at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q).

Edwards, a professor of anthropology at Williams College in the United States, will be talking about his latest book, Caravan of Martyrs: Sacrifice and Suicide Bombing in Afghanistan. The lecture is open to the public and will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 18 at GU-Q’s Education City campus.

Caravan of Martyrs explores the rise of suicide bombing in the context of cultural beliefs and rituals of sacrifice in Afghanistan. In the book, Edwards traces this violent form of self-destruction back to its origins in the 1980s. From the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to today’s social media age, the researcher explains how martyrdom has been exploited for political gain.

“I have been conducting research on Afghanistan since the beginning of the war there forty years ago, and I have witnessed the transformation of Afghan culture that war has brought about,” said Edwards. “In Caravan of Martyrs: Sacrifice and Suicide Bombing in Afghanistan, I trace one aspect of this transformation: the changing attitude towards violence and the way in which violence is deployed. More specifically, I examine how sacrifice, a ritual act that in traditional society is associated with expressing gratitude and seeking reconciliation between rival factions, is turned into the foundation for a cult and culture of martyrdom.”

Edwards, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, has a number of research interests including Afghanistan, Islam, political violence, and humanitarianism and post-conflict societies. His expertise has been featured in media including the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, the BBC, and Reuters. Caravan of Martyrs is his third book on Afghanistan.

Background Information

Georgetown University in Qatar

Established in 1789 in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions. Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), founded in 2005 in partnership with Qatar Foundation, seeks to build upon the world-class reputation of the university through education, research, and service. Inspired by the university’s mission of promoting intellectual, ethical, and spiritual understanding, GU-Q aims to advance knowledge and provide students and the community with a holistic educational experience that produces global citizens committed to the service of humankind.

Located in Doha’s Education City, GU-Q offers the same internationally recognized Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree as Georgetown’s Capitol Campus in Washington, DC. This unique, interdisciplinary program prepares students to tackle the most important and pressing global issues by helping them develop critical thinking, analytic, and communication skills within an international context. GU-Q alumni work in leading local and international organizations across industries ranging from finance to energy, education, and media. The Qatar campus also serves as a residency and delivery location for the Executive Master’s in Emergency and Disaster Management along with the Executive Master’s in Leadership.