The Impact of Socio-Political Events (1960s–1990s) on Contemporary Dari Poetry in Afghanistan

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 , Student of, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi, Iran.Iran

2 Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi, Iran.

Abstract

This study examines how contemporary Persian-Dari poetry reflects political, social, and cultural developments in Afghanistan between the 1960s and the 1990s. It argues that poets responded divergently to these transformations according to their ideological positions: while some aligned with state-sponsored discourse and contributed to the reproduction of official ideology, others articulated resistance through symbolic and multi-layered poetic language. Beyond its aesthetic function, poetry in this period emerged as a significant medium of socio-political engagement and a repository of collective memory. It was also instrumentalized for political propaganda through the translation of Russian literary works and the institutional activities of the Writers’ Union of the People's Democratic Party, whereas independent and dissident poets voiced protest and resistance against dominant power structures. Adopting a historical-analytical approach and drawing on a systematic study of poetic texts alongside relevant historical sources, this study offers a comprehensive and comparatively novel analysis of the representation of political and social events in contemporary Afghan poetry. It advances the field by integrating discursive, linguistic, and socio-historical perspectives within a unified analytical framework, thereby providing a nuanced understanding of the dynamic interplay between poetry, ideology, and historical experience across multiple poetic currents.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Persian Language and Literature

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 30 May 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 16 October 2025
  • Revise Date: 19 May 2026
  • Accept Date: 30 May 2026
  • Publish Date: 30 May 2026

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