Tomorrow: WWU professor will discuss the historical drama of Afghanistan

February 2, 2010

David Curley, chair of the Liberal Studies Department at Western Washington University, will give a lecture titled “About Afghanistan—or, Can We Learn Anything Useful from History?” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, in the Bellingham City Council Chambers in downtown Bellingham.

In his talk, which is the winter 2010 installment of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean’s Lecture Series, Curley will discuss how a better historical perspective might help us to form clearer alternative policies and perhaps also help us to evaluate those policies more objectively.

“Most of us have heard people tell us that ‘history proves’ something is the right thing to do,” Curley said. “I have to say, on the contrary, good history can do no such thing. I think wanting ‘proof’ from history about the right thing to do helps create bad history, by which I mean history with the untruthful simplicity of character and plot to be found in advertisements for bad movies.”

Curley will approach Afghanistan’s history using the basic tools of telling a story, laying out the important characters, scenes and plots. His lecture will cover:

  • What are history’s claims?
  • Are there good reasons to be skeptical?
  • Storytelling for the past and future: Resources of scene, character and plot.
  • Scene: Poverty, society and the traditional state.
  • Fundamental issues in 30 years of war.
  • Borders, boundaries and Afghanistan’s neighbors.
  • Character: Origin and character of the Taliban, 1994 to 2009.
  • Tragic flaws and American roles, 1982 to 2008.
  • Plotting for the future: Savior stories of war and development.
  • Have we learned anything useful? Ratios of agency and purpose.

David Curley is a professor and chair of the WWU Liberal Studies Department. Trained in history and the study of literature of South Asia, Curley’s research has focused on social and intellectual history. For more information about this lecture, contact David Curley, chair of the WWU Liberal Studies Department, at (360) 650-6875 or david.curley@wwu.edu.

Audience participation is encouraged. The lecture will be recorded and shown on Bellingham TV Channel 10.