Men on top:sexual economy of bacha bazi in Afghanistan

Misra, Amalendu (2023) Men on top:sexual economy of bacha bazi in Afghanistan. International Politics, 60 (2). pp. 350-370. ISSN 1384-5748

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Abstract

In contemporary international society, Afghanistan may be cited as a dysfunctional entity with a litany of internal conflicts. One of these bedeviling anomalies relates to the prevalence of a culture of sexual violation of preadolescent boys by powerful male patrons. This widespread practice, colloquially known as bacha bazi, exists in an informal institutionalized form. While bacha bazi predates the current round of internal strife and war, the prevailing political chaos and conflict dynamics in the country have contributed to its persistent growth.