Drop by Drop, a River is Formed: Community and Education in Kabul, Afghanistan

Abstract

Community is typically approached as either an obstacle or an asset in education. The history of Afghanistan includes periods of educational policies designed to limit community involvement and redefine social norms. More recently, with increased international involvement in education, community structures and resources have been leveraged to support education. Both approaches are based in static conceptualizations of community. Drawing on ethnography, portraiture, and case study, this dissertation examines the relationship between community and education through a process approach, which recognizes the dynamic nature of social relations and identity. I explore the perspectives and experiences of teachers, students, and school community members in one community-based school in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, searching for what community means in a context of insecurity and displacement and with national and global involvement in education. My findings show that there is a transformational and reciprocal relationship between community and education. Three mechanisms—trust, belonging, and relationships—explain these connections between community and education. As educational opportunities open and strengthen, new layers of community emerge and strengthen, and vice versa. In this equation, quality of learning, one of these educational opportunities, creates greater possibilities for long-term sustainability of educational gains.